Atypical
by Menamebephil
Summary: AU. Not your standard High School fic. For a start, it's not filed under Romance. I take the title seriously.
1. A New Beginning

A Typical High School Fic

**Atypical.**

**Yes, I've done it again. I've started a story without finishing my other ones. I'm so disorganised it's unreal.**** But at least this proves I'm not fighting writer's block any more. Anyway, as the title suggests, this should prove to be a slightly different "High School" story than usual. I'm trying, at least. If CalliopeMused can get away with writing a High School story, why can't I?**

_**Because she's better at writing than you.**_

**Shut up.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter**** One: A New Beginning.**

Rachel hefted her bag onto her shoulder as she climbed onto the bus. Scanning the interior, she quickly found an open seat and sat. Pulling out her timetable, she glanced half-heartedly at her lessons. Sighing to herself, she stared out the window, observing the autumnal colours as they slipped past the window. Idly, she wondered what the school would be like. She had toured it, of course, but that was somewhat different to what the establishment would actually be like. She supposed she'd find out soon enough.

* * *

Gar looked over at his alarm clock, and swore drowsily. Sitting up, he yawned. He hated these late nights. Dressing haphazardly, he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, and his ring from the side, slipping the apple into his pocket and the ring onto his left finger as he stumbled out of the apartment.

* * *

Rachel looked around the lunch hall, trying to spot anyone she recognised. She remembered what her mother had said to her that morning.

"_Remember, dear. You need to try and make some friends this year.__ It's not healthy for someone your age to be by herself all the time."_

With that stiffening her resolve, she brought her tray over to the table where she spotted a familiar face.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked, trying to sound as if she didn't care. The large teenager she had addressed looked up, and smiled.

"Not at all." He blinked in recognition. "Hey, I know you. I showed you around, didn't I?"

Rachel nodded.

"Cool." He pointed at his companion, a shorter guy with spiked black hair. "I'm Victor, and this is Dick. He's alright, but he lives up to his name sometimes."

"I am right here, you know." Dick said, with something of a pout in his voice.

"_Dick_? That's a _name_?" Rachel said, incredulity overcoming reserve for the moment.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It was a name first, you know."

After a few moments of silence, Rachel noticed Dick staring at a girl a few tables over. She followed his gaze, and saw she was sitting next to a short boy with spiked blonde hair. They appeared to be deep in conversation. "Who're they?"

Victor grinned. "That's Gar and Kory. They're the most official unofficial couple in the school."

Dick glared. "They're not a couple."

Victor threw up his hands in mock frustration. "Of course they aren't. They're just inseparable, and have this weird habit of disappearing at odd times of the day. Together."

Rachel smirked as Dick tried to find a way to counter this. "Sounds like a couple to me."

Victor threw a companionable arm around Dick's shoulder. "Well, when you're wallowing in your pit of unfathomable jealousy, remember this: at least he's shorter than you."

"Shut up." Said Dick, pushing Victor away.

* * *

Rachel sat in history, trying to concentrate. She glanced sideways, and saw Gar and Kory, sitting together. Both looked half dead, almost as if they'd been up half the night.

She had to say, it looked as if Victor had been right about them.

"And I shall expect your collectivisation essays by next Thursday. Class dismissed." Said the teacher, Mr. Light, or something.

* * *

"Hey, Rachel, come over here." Victor waved to her as she walked out of the school gates. He was standing with Dick, Gar and Kory. Dick was torn between ogling Kory and giving Gar the most evil of evil glares.

"Yeah?" She said as she walked over.

"I was thinking you might want to join us later. We were gonna go bowling or something."

To her credit, she considered it for a moment, something she would never have done a few years ago.

"Maybe some other time."

Victor threw up his hands in desperation. "Great. Another recluse."

"What do you mean?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

Victor pointed accusingly at Gar and Kory. "These two are too busy making out all the time-"

"Dude! I told you, we're not together!" Gar said angrily, Kory nodding at his side.

"Of course you aren't. Anyway, these two are always busy, West's got his job, and you're a recluse. It's just me and Dick, and what fun he is."

"Hey!"

"Just messin' with ya. But seriously, Rachel, come along, it'll be fun."

Rachel wavered, and then acquiesced. "Alright. Just let me call home." She pulled out her cell phone, and dialled.

"Mom?"

"_Yeah, honey?"_

She sighed. She _hated_ it when her mother used pet names. "I'm going to be late back; I've been invited to go bowling." She tried to sound enthusiastic, but it was hard. She hadn't sounded enthusiastic in a long time.

_Wonderful. Have a nice time. You have got the key, haven't you?_"

"Yes, mom."

"_Dinner will be in the oven when you get back. Have a nice time."_

With that, Rachel hung up, and the group set off.

* * *

Rachel blinked. Then she blinked again. The Kory girl had just lifted a bowling ball as if it was a balloon. Suddenly she began to feel the weight, and Rachel shrugged and forgot about it.

She had missed Gar frowning at Kory, and Kory briefly meeting his eyes.

* * *

"Well, I gotta go. It's getting late, and I got a history essay to do." With that, Gar left, before Victor could protest. A few moments later, Kory left too, agreeing that the history essay needed doing.

Victor looked sidelong at Dick. "Alright, _now_ try to deny they're a couple."

Dick harrumphed.

"You know what the weird thing is?" Victor said.

"No." Rachel answered.

"Watch when the time comes to hand the essays in. I guarantee that neither of them will have done it."

"That's not so weird; if they're spending their time doing what you insinuate they're doing." Rachel said, dryly.

"That's not the weird bit. The weird bit is no one will mention it. No teacher has ever called them on not doing homework. The Head says they're a 'special case', whatever that means."

Rachel frowned. "Any theories on that?"

Dick spoke up. "There was a rumour going round that she was sleeping with Wilson, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to that."

"I'm sure that there are more sensible explanations. Well, I'm off home."

* * *

"Hello, Rachel. How was your day?" Angela asked as she unpacked the last of the books. She had spent the day in the apartment, and Rachel had to admit it looked nice.

"Fine, mom."

"Did you make any new friends?"

"I can hardly be expected to make friends in one day, but if you're asking if I made acquaintances, then yes. They seem nice enough, I suppose." Rachel replied, as she pulled a plate out of the oven.


	2. Settling In

**Chapter Two: Settling In.**

The next two days passed without incident, unless being introduced to Wally West counted as an incident, which some would argue it did. Rachel had been somewhat unnerved by the boy, with his hugely baggy, shapeless clothing, and his air of extreme boredom, as if he'd read the entire library, and was just in school for show, but he'd seemed affable enough. She had yet to see him turn up on time to a class, though. He'd made a little small talk, but before too long he'd started fiddling with a ring on his left finger, and had left, citing work.

On Thursday, Raven sat in her history class, she watched as the bombastic teacher called for the essays. Just as Victor had said, neither Gar nor Kory had done it, and, just as Victor had said, the teacher didn't call them on it. This was especially strange when he lambasted one boy for not handing _his_ in. This was a mystery.

Rachel Roth did not like mysteries. After a few moments deliberation, she decided that the best course of action would be to confront them. As the class filed out, she tapped Gar on his shoulder. He spun around and, on seeing who it was, grinned.

"Hey, Rachel, wasn't it? What's up?"

"How come you got away with not doing that essay?" Rachel had hoped to shock the truth out of him, but was only rewarded with a flash of panic that was so brief that she was half convinced that she had imagined it by the time he beamed again.

"Well, the truth is, I'm a superhero. I don't have the time for such mundane things as homework; I have a world to save here!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Great. A comedian." Clearly, she wasn't getting any straight answers out of _him_. She was distracted by the figure of a large man sporting an eyepatch and a goatee walking down the corridor. He seemed absorbed in thought, paying no attention to where he was going, relying instead on the pupils getting the hell out of his way. They did.

"Who was _that_?" Rachel asked.

"That was Wilson. The principal."

"They let someone that looks like _that_ run a public school? Doesn't he, you know, scare the smaller ones to death?"

Gar grinned. "Hell no. They think he's a pirate, which is synonymous with 'awesome' when you're twelve."

Rachel smirked. "And is he a pirate?"

"No one knows." Gar's voice took on a conspiratorial air. "Some say he's a pirate. Some say he's ex KGB. There are those that claim he's secretly a supervillain, and those that believe that he's a conman, and the eyepatch is just for show. Recently, the Government Agent Theory has been gaining popularity."

"And what do you believe?"

"The only logical explanation: he's a military experiment gone wrong. Back in 'Nam, they were trying to create the perfect soldier through a bunch of experimental drugs, so they tested the formula on Wilson. It worked, but he quit the army and became an international assassin. His pseudonym was probably something cool like Deadpool or Deadshot or Deathstroke, something like that. He used a samurai sword, and he keeps it in his office."

"And then this assassin settled down and became the principal of a public school."

Gar shrugged. "The guy probably needed a challenge." His face twitched slightly, and he scratched his left hand. "Been nice talking to ya, but I gotta go. Bye."

With that, he ran off.

* * *

"Oh, hey Rae. What's up?" Victor waved to Rachel as she sat at his table in the lunch hall.

"I was just talking to Gar about the principal, when he went all weird and ran off."

Victor nodded. "He does that. Did he mention his 'government experiment-international assassin' theory to ya?"

Rachel nodded. "He seems to have it all figured out."

"Just be thankful you weren't around when he was cookin' up that theory. The unedited version featured a squad of commando gerbils."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Is that guy for real?"

Victor shrugged. "Apparently."

Dick mooched over to their table, in a grand high dudgeon.

Victor looked at him. "What's wrong with you, Mr. Sunbeam?"

"I was just talking to Kory-"

"Uh huh."

"And she seemed alright, but suddenly she gets this weird look and runs off! No explanation, nothing!"

Victor looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Two young people of opposing genders disappearing at the same time. Someone could draw conclusions from that."

Rachel sighed. "Victor, if Dick hasn't got what you're hinting at by now then he never will. Could you tone it down? It's getting annoying."

"But that's my primary source of entertainment! How am I supposed to get through the day without taunting Dick?"

Rachel sighed. "You'll live."

* * *

Wally West sat in the library, musing quietly to himself. He briefly considered getting a book, but decided against it. He'd read the fiction section three times already. Sighing, he fiddled with his hat. He hated the thing, but his uncle had insisted, and Wally could see the reasons. Suddenly, he felt a pulsing on his left hand, by the knuckle of his ring finger. A three pulse alert. Alright.

With a grin, he slowly made his way to the men's toilets, and when he was sure he was alone in the cubicle, he twisted the thunderbolt insignia on the ring.

A few seconds later, Kid Flash climbed out of the window, deposited a backpack in the shrubbery, and was gone in a blur of yellow and crimson.


	3. Resident Heroes

Chapter Three: Resident Heroes

**Chapter Three: Resident Heroes.**

Beast Boy padded through the warehouse, his teammates at his shoulders. With practiced ease, he slipped into the form of a monkey, and slipped ahead to examine the situation. He saw a figure in red power armour helping himself to vats of a glowing green liquid. He'd seen enough.

He raised one monkey paw and extended two fingers, jabbing upwards. He then added another finger, and tapped himself on the head. His team nodded, and Starfire flew upwards, while Kid Flash zipped up to him. Beast Boy took the form of an emerald ant and perched on the boy's shoulder.

_3…2…1_ Kid Flash counted down, and suddenly flew forwards, delivering a superspeed punch straight into the small of the villain's back at the exact same moment that Starfire launched a volley of Starbolts to his chest. To top everything off, Gar shifted into a lemur and scampered to Adonis' head, where he became an orang-utan, the simian's strong arms snatching the young man as he desperately tried to escape his armour. Beast Boy punched him in the forehead, and the villain was out cold. He nodded to his teammates, and Kid Flash cuffed the criminal, and the trio slipped out of the warehouse without a sound.

* * *

Victor tapped his pen against his teeth, as he often did when he was bored.

"Now, my duckies, you'll be pleased to know that we're done with _The 'Great' Gatsby_." The teacher had made his displeasure with 'The Great American Novel' clear. With a flourish, he produced the text that they would be working on for the remainder of the term. _Frankenstein_. "Now _this_, my luvvies," the teacher said, the relish oozing from his voice "is _literature_."

Victor sighed. Sometimes he wondered why he did English.

* * *

Rachel scanned the classroom, trying to find any sign of Gar or Kory. Neither were present. No one had drawn attention to it. The mystery continued.

"Now we turn our attention once again to the pluperfect tense. Rachel Roth, translate the following." The French teacher wrote on the whiteboard, the pen engulfed by his gargantuan hands. 'John had already put the fire out when the fire brigade arrived'.

Rachel sighed. _"Oui, Monsieur Mallah. '__Jean __avait__ déjà __éteint__ l'incendie quand les pompiers sont arrivés'."_

The teacher appeared satisfied with this, and moved on to the next unfortunate, giving Rachel time to reflect. She _knew_ Kory took French with her, she had sat next to the girl yesterday. So where was she now?

Contrary to whatever Victor insinuated, and the rest of the school assumed, Rachel doubted that she was swapping saliva- or any other body fluids- with Gar. After all, it was the middle of the day, and neither of them seemed quite _that_ delinquent. However, this left the tantalising question.

What _were_ they doing?

* * *

"…_That_ guy was a three-pulser? I mean, even the _police_ could have taken him down. If you ask me, that was a waste of time." Wally's voice was naturally loud, but Dick only caught the tail end of their conversation as he rounded the corner.

"What was a waste of time, Wally?" Dick asked, while resisting the urge to punch Gar. Kory probably wouldn't take that well.

Wally's grin never faltered. "Oh, you know, that field trip the Science Dept. took us on last week."

Dick nodded. "Well, how much of S.T.A.R. labs did they expect high school pupils to understand?" A thought struck him. "What the hell does S.T.A.R. stand for, anyway?"

Wally froze, genuinely dumbstruck. "You know, I never thought of that. This requires serious thought."

Dick nodded. "Let us go and ponder this mystery, and think other deep thoughts."

There was only one sensible response to this. Both of the older boys burst out laughing, leaving Gar and Kory slightly bemused.

* * *

Rachel stepped out of French, and glanced at the sky. The early autumn had painted the sky a brilliant orange in the early evening. She looked around, and saw her bus pulling into the school. Getting on, she noticed for the first time that both Gar and Kory were on the bus, a few rows ahead of where she usually sat. Intrigued, Rachel watched them. They seemed to be holding a low conversation, murmuring to each other. Rachel noted with a start that when her stop came, Gar and Kory got off there as well, and walked away together.

* * *

Gar and Kory stepped into the elevator, and she pressed the button that read "Penthouse".

"Today has been an interesting day, has it not?"

"Yeah. Finally caught the big red guy."

Kory frowned. "What do you suppose it was that he was stealing?"

Gar shrugged. "I don't know. Some chemical or other. I suppose I should look into that."

Kory nodded. "Yes. You should."

The elevator doors opened, and they both stepped out.

"Should I prepare dinner?" Starfire asked, as they shed their holorings.

Gar blanched for a second. "Yeah. Just remember, I only eat earth vegetables."

Starfire nodded. "Of course."

Gar slumped in front of the computer. "I guess I'd better find out what exactly it was that Adonis was after, lucky me." He typed in a few commands to the computer, and after a minute or two he was staring at a page of data. He went pale as he read.

"Star?" He called.

"Hmm?" She replied, rummaging for pots and pans.

"You'd better have a look at this."


	4. PsychoPotion

**Chapter Four: Psycho-Potion**

"Adrenaline enhancer, ego suppressant, psychosis inducer… this stuff is _nasty_." Beast Boy slumped back, and dragged both of his hands down his face. "But why would some two-bit knuckleheaded showboater like Adonis want something like this?"

"To sell?" Starfire leaned over his shoulder, peering at the screen.

"Maybe. But to whom? And why the hell were they making this stuff anyway?" He scrolled down to the scientist's notes on the chemical. "_Some undesirable side effects. No known way to suppress the induced psychosis._ Great. So they didn't _mean_ to make the psycho-potion."

Starfire frowned. "We shall have to ask them some questions. Shall we inform Wallace?"

Beast Boy grinned at the use of Wally's full name. "Not yet. We haven't got a secure way of reaching him. Besides, if we just call his landline, we run the risk of talking to his sister again." Both shuddered at the memory.

"Then there is nothing more to be done tonight."

Beast Boy gave a tired smile. "Yeah. I guess I'm not gonna get that essay done, am I?"

Starfire smiled. "I suppose not."

"In fact, I might be ill tomorrow. I need to talk to the labs, and to Adonis."

Starfire nodded, and went back to her cooking. Beast Boy turned back to his computer, and examined who was loose in the criminal underworld, and who would want to buy this goop.

_Mumbo? Nah, he's not the type. Rancid? Too boneheaded. Blood? He's the type. But he was last seen in Gotham. Good luck facing up against the Bat. Napier? Maybe. I sure as hell hope not. Moth? Hasn't got the funds. Maybe one of the mob bosses? Unlikely. We beat the real ones, all that's left are a bunch of posers trying to live up to Godfather stereotypes. Apart from Zucco, he's still unaccounted for. I should get Wally in on this, I'm no good at this Detective crap._

* * *

"Mornin' Kory! Where's Gar?" Victor said as Kory stepped off the bus, noticeably alone.

"I do not know. Why do you presume I would?" Kory replied serenely.

"What, you let your boyfriend out of your sight? I'm shocked." Victor replied with a chuckle.

"You misunderstand the nature of our relationship. He is merely a friend." She retorted.

"Of course he is." Chuckled Victor, his eyes twinkling.

Kory frowned. "You are being the sarcastic. I assure you that Garfield is nothing more than a close friend."

"Sure he is." Victor goaded.

"You are most aggravating. I would appreciate it if you stopped." Kory had begun to get annoyed.

"But I'm agreeing with you!" Victor protested. "Aren't I, Rachel?"

Rachel sighed. "Sure you are."

Starfire paused. "Was that sarcasm or not? With you, I find it most difficult to tell."

* * *

"Can I help you?" The scientist stared at Beast Boy with tired eyes from across a coffee cup.

"I need some information on this." Beast Boy handed over the data he had collected the night before.

The scientist accepted it, and sighed. "Ah, another faulty chemical. What did you want to know?"

"First off, what were you trying to make?" Beast Boy sat, trying his best to appear nonthreatening.

"We were trying to replicate a formula that was developed by the Soviets during the Cold War. It was a formula that created an artificial healing factor in humans, along with several other side effects. We have been unsuccessful thus far. The chemical in question was able to replicate several of the effects of the original, but not without several unpleasant side effects."

Beast Boy scowled. "Then why was so much made? Adonis was carrying at least three barrels of the stuff."

The scientist rubbed his brow. "I personally wasn't working on this formula, but I heard that the original reports on it claimed that it appeared to work perfectly, and a large sample should be prepared for further testing. This was later corrected, and the stuff was moved to the warehouse until it could be safely destroyed."

"Thank you. You've been very helpful." Beast Boy stood and left.

_None of this adds up._ Beast Boy thought as he left the facility. _How did whoever employed Adonis know which chemical to go for? And why did they want this one? Could they have simply made a mistake?_

Beast Boy shifted into a hawk and flew towards the Police Station.

* * *

Beast Boy stared through the two way mirror into the interrogation room. The policeman questioning him looked incredibly frustrated.

"Get anything out of him?" Beast Boy asked the officer standing next to him.

"Not a thing. He keeps acting as if he doesn't understand the questions." She replied.

"Have you done a blood test on him?" Beast Boy asked, leaning towards the mirror.

The officer frowned. "Why would we do that?"

"Well, if any of the crap he stole somehow got into his system…it would be bad."

"How bad?"

"Bad." Beast Boy scowled at the black haired young man. "You mind if I give him a shot?"

The officer smiled ruefully. "I'm sure Bill won't mind." She pressed the intercom button. "Alright, Bill, reinforcements are here, take a break."

Adonis smirked as Bill retreated, muttering darkly to himself, but paled when he saw who had replaced him.

"Aw shit."

"Adonis." Beast Boy said earnestly. "Did you take any of the stuff you stole?"

"Who says I stole anything?" Adonis retorted.

"I do. I was there, remember? I punched you in the head."

"Oh." Adonis stopped at that. "Yeah. I took some. What's it to ya?"

Beast Boy paled. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"He said it'd make me stronger. Why? Won't it?" Adonis looked afraid.

"Adonis, who told you?"

Adonis was no longer listening. His eyes began roving in their sockets, and his hands jerked and tugged at the chair they were cuffed to. Beast Boy started when he saw that Adonis' pupils had dilated, and a small head of froth had built up in the corner of his mouth.

With a suddenness that was terrifying, Adonis jerked both of his hands, snapping the chains on his cuffs. Bleeding profusely from the wrists, Adonis leapt across the table and in the next instant had Beast Boy by the throat.

Beast Boy twisted and jerked, but couldn't break out of the grip. He suddenly shifted into a snake, hoping to shock Adonis into dropping him, but the maniac's only response was to grip tighter. Beast Boy then shifted into a bear, and this proved too bulky of Adonis to grab, and Beast Boy threw him against the wall.

Adonis leapt up, and ran at Beast Boy with murder in his eyes, but before he could get there he tripped, stumbled and fell. Concerned, Beast Boy rushed over to him, as did the other police officers that had burst into the room, but they could do little but watch as Adonis' heart beat faster and faster until it overloaded and gave out.


	5. Frustrations

**Chapter Five: Frustrations.**

Rachel looked sidelong at Garfield, who was slumped in his seat in the lunch hall, one of his hands idly rubbing a bruise on the back of his neck. Ever since yesterday, when he had been ill, he hadn't said more than three consecutive words. Rachel felt uncharacteristically worried about him. She leaned over to him and spoke.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine." He replied, staring at his lunch as if it were responsible for all the ills of the world.

"No you aren't." Rachel said, getting slightly annoyed.

"Yes I am." He replied through gritted teeth.

"You really aren't."

"Why the hell do you care?" Gar snapped, looking at her for the first time.

Rachel frowned. "Am I not allowed to?"

"It's none of your business." Gar growled.

Rachel could feel herself getting angry. "Look, all I asked was whether or not you were alright. You looked upset. But if this is how you're going to act, then fine." With that, she stood and stormed off.

Gar slumped, banging his head on the table.

* * *

"Man, what is your _deal_? You've been acting like an asshole all day." Wally said, glaring at Gar.

Gar didn't respond immediately, and the pair walked towards the apartment building in silence.

"You remember Adonis?"

Wally snorted. "It was only two days ago. Of course I remember."

"Well, you remember that crap he was stealing?"

"…Vaguely."

"Well, it turns out it was some kind of psychosis inducer. I went and talked to Adonis, and apparently whoever employed him told him to take some. Said it would make him 'stronger'." Gar's voice was laced with bitterness.

Wally frowned. "Who was his employer?"

"He didn't say. As soon as I got that information out of him, the drug kicked in. He jumped on me, tried to strangle me. I knocked him off, but the crap gave him a heart attack." Gar's composure slipped. "I couldn't do anything but watch as he _died_. And you know what the worst thing is?"

Wally mutely shook his head.

"Whoever employed him _knew_ that the stuff would kill him. Adonis had been _ordered_ to take the stuff." Gar stopped talking, and composed himself with several deep breaths. "And we're still no closer to finding out who the hell is responsible for this."

_

* * *

_

_Short, spiky-haired, self absorbed, clueless, underachieving…asshole. _Rachel thought bitterly to herself as she stalked her way through town. _What is his problem? I ask what's wrong with him, and he blows up in my face. Well screw him. I don't care any more._

She stopped at her destination, a small bookstore she had noticed when she first went into town. Opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of a young man behind the till, who sported a nametag that read 'Malcolm'.

"Can I help you?" He asked, in a voice that sounded like poured honey.

Raven, to her eternal shame, found herself blushing. "Oh, no thanks. I'm just looking."

"Well, if you need anything, I'm here."

Rachel nodded, and began to browse the shelves. After a few minutes, a particular one caught her eye. She hefted the tome, her hands running over the white leather binding, and she flicked through the first few pages. It appeared to be a fantasy novel, involving a wizard and a dragon. She shrugged. A little mindless escapism couldn't hurt.

Walking up to the counter, she placed the book in front of Malcolm, who smiled at her.

"Anything else?"

Rachel shook her head.

"Well, that'll be twenty five dollars, please."

Raven passed over the bills, and Malcolm handed her the book in a paper bag.

"There you go. Come back soon!" He said cheerfully as Rachel left the store.

* * *

"You staying here tonight?" Gar asked as he and Wally climbed into the elevator.

"Yeah. I told my folks I was staying with a friend."

"Cool." The pair lapsed into silence until the doors opened again, and Gar removed his ring.

"Where's Star?" Wally asked, as he zipped into the kitchen.

"She's on patrol at the moment. She should be back in about an hour."

Wally grinned. "I've been meaning to ask you, what do you think about all these rumours that you're going out with Star?"

Gar looked disgusted. "Imagine you've got a bunch of people spreading rumours that you're dating your sister."

Wally considered that for a moment. "Oh. But she _did_ kiss you, remember?"

Gar threw a sofa cushion at him, but Wally easily dodged it. "That was to learn the language, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Wally grinned, the amusement shining in his face.

* * *

Rachel sat in her room, the only illumination coming from a muted bedside light. She was sitting cross legged on her bed, reading her latest acquisition. So far, it seemed fairly standard.

"I'm going to bed now." Her mother called through her door. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight." Rachel replied.

"What are you doing?" Angela asked. "You've been in there since before dinner."

Rachel sighed. "I'm just reading a book."

"Okay. Goodnight." Angela's footsteps faded into nothing.

"Oh, I am no mere book."

Rachel nearly dropped her book in surprise when she heard the voice, and looked around. Suddenly, her attention was riveted to the novel in her hands, as the pages ruffled of their own accord, coming to rest on a page that looked like it had been torn in half, the top half replaced by a picture of two grey eyes, with catlike pupils. Rachel stared at the tome, stunned into silence.

"I am a man."


	6. Infatuation

**Chapter Six: Infatuation.**

Raven blinked. She blinked again. She dropped the book on the floor with a start when the printed eyes blinked back.

"You have three seconds to explain what's going on before I get a match." Raven tried to sound commanding, to hide the fact that she was unnerved beyond belief.

"You have read the story, have you not?" The book inquired mildly.

"What- oh, in you. Yeah." Rachel tried desperately to avoid hyperventilating. The talking book wasn't helping much.

"Well, it wasn't simply a story."

"You mean…that's stupid."

"Oh? It was an epic battle, I'll have you know."

"You expect me to believe you're here because of a fight with a dragon." Raven said, scepticism dripping from her voice.

"You're talking to a book. How is anything I say unbelievable?"

He had a point.

"Okay, so why are you telling me this?"

"Because, Rachel" the voice said in a smug voice. "I have been waiting for you."

The pages flipped once more, coming to rest on a picture of Rachel with a serene expression, her hands at her sides like scales, black fire balanced on each one.

Rachel fainted.

* * *

"…ake up. Rachel, wake up." Rachel's eyes fluttered open, and she saw a pair of grey eyes watching her from the bed. "I apologise. I didn't mean to startle you."

Rachel waved his concern away like so many flies. "Why were you waiting for _me_? What's so special about me?"

The book chuckled. "You have no idea."

Rachel frowned. "Look. Before we go any further, I think it would be polite if you told me your name."

"Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Malchior."

"You already know my name. Care to explain how?" Rachel cocked an eyebrow.

"I have been waiting for you."

"…We've ascertained that. _Why_ have you been waiting for me?"

"Because, Rachel, you can free me from my paper bounds."

Rachel scowled, her brow furrowed in thought. "With scissors? Because I'm entirely ordinary, I'm afraid."

Malchior chuckled. "Oh, you are far from ordinary, Rachel. Your potential is simply…untapped; that is all."

"I don't follow."

"Oh? Well, I shall have to demonstrate. Fetch a small item you have no wish to see again."

Rachel cast her eyes around her room, and her gaze fell on a small stuffed toy chicken. She couldn't for the life of her remember where she had got it from. She picked it up. "Will this do?"

"Certainly. Now, set it down, point at it, and say _lathspell_."

Raven placed the toy on the floor, and, feeling like a complete idiot, muttered "_lathspell_."

Immediately the toy was consumed by black fire, leaving only a small pile of ashes and a foul smell.

"Wonderful!" Cried Malchior, evidently delighted, as Rachel stared at her hands in wonderment and not a little fear.

"What the hell?!" Hissed Rachel- screaming would be a bad idea at this time of night.

"You see? Beautiful _and_ deadly."

Rachel stopped, all fearful thoughts derailed by that one word. "…Beautiful?"

"But of course. Do you not think so?"

Rachel walked over to the book, in something of a daze. "Well…no one has ever…"

"Well, you are beautiful. Trust me." With that, two of the pages of the book floated into the air, and twisted themselves into the shape of a rose.

* * *

"Good morning, Victor." Rachel said, with a small smile.

"You're cheery today?" Victor noted. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, nothing." Rachel replied.

_Nothing at all_. Rachel inwardly noted. Last night had been the most tumultuous of her life. Her fears about her power had been allayed by Malchior, who had assured her that what she had done last night- apart from destroying the toy, she had made a book float and a chair slide across the floor- was only the beginning. It had been enough to terrify her at first, but Malchior had promised her that he would be there to help her, that she would never be alone.

The thought was strangely comforting.

* * *

"Hey…Rae?" She turned at the sound of Gar's voice.

"Yeah?" Even _he_ couldn't spoil her mood at the moment.

"Look, first off, I'm sorry I blew up at you yesterday. I was just having a _really_ bad day."

Rachel sighed. "That's alright, Gar."

"Cool." His features lit up. "Hey, we were going to get a bunch of us together and go see a movie or something. Would you wanna tag along?"

Rachel shook her head. "No thanks. I have some reading to catch up on." With that, she turned and left, heading home.

Gar scratched his head. _Some reading to catch up on_. There had to be some meaning there that he wasn't getting.

Rachel wouldn't have been smirking otherwise.

* * *

Wally West burst into the penthouse base later that evening, in a maelstrom of worry.

"Hey, Gar?"

Beast Boy looked up from the GameStation. "Yeah, Wally?"

"How would you like to hear some really, _really_ bad news?"

Gar frowned. "Is this the kind of bad news that will go away if I ignore it?"

"Since when has there been a kind of bad news like that?"

Gar stood up. "Alright then."

Wally took a deep breath. "Well, I ran into the police chief on my patrol, and you remember the goop Adonis stole?"

"Wally, I don't like where you're heading with this. Please tell me this news takes a happy turn somewhere."

Wally inhaled. "The police had taken it as evidence. It's gone from the evidence lockers. Hey suspect an inside job."

"Oh bugger."

"Yup."


	7. Unmasking

**Chapter Seven: Unmasking.**

"…And we turn to the teachings of Wonko the Sane for his theories on levitation." Malchior's pages ruffled until they came to rest on a page filled with ornate, flowing writing, as well as a woodcut of a monk, suspended in midair, a look of rapture on his face.

"Wonko the Sane?" Rachel asked incredulously. "You have _got_ to be making this up."

"I assure you, he was real. He got his title for being the least deranged in his immediate family."

"_Least_ deranged?"

"Well, his parents christened him Wonko. What did you expect?"

Rachel chuckled, something she had been doing more often recently.

"So, when do you think I would be able to release you?"

"Soon, soon. At your rate of progress, we should be ready by the end of the week." Malchior replied smoothly.

"Good. I'll feel less certifiable when I stop talking to a book."

* * *

Gar's eyes flicked open. Saturday. Alright. He got up, dressed, and walked into the kitchen, where Starfire was already subduing her breakfast.

"Good morning, Garfield." She said brightly, as she wielded a hammer, pounding something Beast Boy didn't want to inspect too closely, in case it attacked him. "Would you like to accompany me to the Mall of Shopping today? It is most beautiful outside."

Gar looked out of the window, and saw it was indeed a fine morning. "Sorry, Star. It's my long patrol today. Ask Wally, I'm sure he'd happily go with you." _He's got the stamina for it._

"A wonderful idea! I shall ask him presently."

_Poor bastard. Well, it was him or me._ Gar consoled himself with this thought as he prepared his Choco-Frosted Sugar Bombs.

* * *

Rachel stepped out into the sunlight, the book under her arm. _Wide open space_, he had said. With this in mind, she headed for a small copse near the edge of town. An open space, without any witnesses. It was perfect. She decided to walk, as it was a nice day, and she had never been a big fan of public transport anyway.

* * *

A green eagle swooped low over the city. All quiet. Great. That meant less work for him.

Suddenly, his sharp eyes spotted a familiar figure walking furtively in the direction of the edge of town.

_I wonder what she's doing. Well, it can't hurt to look._

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but Gar reassured himself with the fact that he was only a cat some of the time, and flew after Rachel.

* * *

"Here should be perfect." Rachel set the book down, open on the page displaying Malchior's eyes.

Rachel took three strides away from the book, and took a deep breath.

_Okay. I can do this._

Thus composed, she held her hands out in the manner of the picture of her within Malchior's pages, and began to chant.

"Ariam ogriov o aip o snemelc o ednietso muilisxe coh tsop sibon iut sirtnev mutcurf mutcidedeb musej te."

Obsidain fire coated Rachel's hands, and her hair danced as if in a stiff breeze.

"Ariam ogriov o aip o snemelc o ednietso muilisxe coh tsop sibon iut sirtnev mutcurf mutcidedeb musej te."

The black fire formed a ring on the ground around the book, and a blast of hot air almost dislodged a green squirrel observing from a tree branch.

"Ariam ogriov o aip o snemelc o ednietso muilisxe coh tsop sibon iut sirtnev mutcurf mutcidedeb musej te!"

The book exploded in a beam of white light, and Malchior began to laugh.

"Yes…yes...**yes!**"

The beam widened, and suddenly two huge black scaled arms emerged, followed by a nightmarish head. As the light died, Rachel gasped in horror as the full extent of her folly was revealed to her.

The monstrous dragon roared its triumph before turning it's attentions to the one who released it, who was lying crumpled on the floor. The creature grinned.

"**Ah, my dear, sweet Rachel. I thank you for your kindness, and now I offer my reward." **The creature picked Rachel up in one scaled claw, she too shocked to resist. **"A quick death."**

Like a bolt of green lightning, an emerald goshawk barrelled at Malchior, turning into a rhino a moment before it collided with his head. Startled, the creature dropped Rachel, before snatching the changeling out of the air, and crushing him.

"**Your chivalry is admirable, Imp, but annoying."** With that, he hurled the boy into a tree, where he collapsed.

Malchior smirked, before returning his attentions to Rachel. What he saw caused the triumphant smirk to whither and die.

Rachel stood, holding the book that had been his prison for so long.

"**Ha! You think that has power over me now?" **He proclaimed, but could not hide the undercurrent of fear in his voice.

"Yes." Replied Rachel, and she opened the book.

Instantly, a bolt of white light burst from the pages, surrounding the dragon. He floated into the air, black fire piercing his skin, and he screamed, a high, keening sound that Rachel was sure she would never be able to forget.

After a few moments, it was over. Malchior was sucked back into the pages of the book. But it seemed his malice was not satisfied. As the dragon was returned to his paper gaol, Rachel was hit with a backlash of power that sent her flying backwards, knocking her unconscious.

Beast Boy picked himself up, and ran over to the girl. When he saw she was unconscious, he picked her up, shifting into a gorilla so he could carry both her and the book. The fact that she was unconscious was understandable- she had been slammed into a tree- but what worried Beast Boy was the colour of her skin.

It had turned ash-grey.

_Before anyone asks, the magic words are a few lines from a gregorian chant, inverted. It's my birthday! Woohoo, I can legally drink! (Not that that's stopped me before...)_


	8. Bedlam

Chapter Eight: Bedlam

**Chapter Eight: Bedlam**

_Alright Gar, let's just get home. You can worry about the fact that she looks like a remarkably well-preserved zombie later._

A jade gorilla lumbered through the streets, avoiding the main roads so as not to draw any crowds. Eventually, it arrived at the apartment block, and shifted back into an approximately human form, since the elevator wasn't built with four hundred pound animals in mind. Since his human form was weaker than a gorilla, carrying Rachel as well as the book was a feat of juggling, and when the elevator doors opened, he unceremoniously dropped the book on the floor, while carrying Rachel over to the sofa. Once she was laid down, Gar immediately checked her pockets for a phone.

_Aha_. Scrolling through the contacts, sparse as they were, he quickly found one labelled "Mom". With only a hint of trepidation, he dialled.

"_Rachel?"_

"Mrs. Roth?"

The voice on the other end froze. _"Who is this?"_

"I…It will take too long to explain. Can you get to the apartment building on 12th Street? It's the penthouse."

"_I…I…guess so? Look, what's going on, and why have you got my daughter's phone?"_

Gar sighed. "I'm a friend of Rachel's, and…well…she's been attacked."

"_What?!" _The voice, understandably, was close to hysteria.

"She's alright, but she's unconscious, and…well, if I explain over the phone you won't believe me. You'd better just come over here."

Angela Roth hung up. Gar put the phone down next to the sofa Rachel was sprawled on, and retrieved his holoring. Once his disguise was in place, he examined the girl he had hauled back. In addition to her now unique complexion, she sported blue hair, and when he lifted an eyelid, they seemed to be tinted purple.

Most people would have been perturbed by this, but Gar lodged with an alien, so he took this in his stride. He briefly considered calling Starfire, if only to relieve Wally, but decided that the hyperactive alien was not the best company when trying to keep someone calm. He went into his room, and removed the bedding, bringing it into the living room so as to make Rachel more comfortable. As he draped the blanket over her, she stirred.

"Wha…wah…what's happening?" She struggled up onto her elbows. "Gar?! What's going on?" A lock of hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it away. Suddenly she noticed its hue, and went stock still. The coffee table began to shake, encased in obsidian flames. Rachel's eyes were drawn to this, and she tried to stop it, to no avail. When she saw that her powers no longer responded to her, she panicked and the table was snapped in half.

"Rae, listen to me, you have to stay calm." Gar grabbed her by the shoulders, and held her still.

At that precise moment, the elevator doors slid open, revealing a distraught woman in a white dress.

"Where is my daughter?" She tried to sound commanding, but Gar could smell the fear radiating off her.

"Gar, what is happening?"

Gar yanked at one of his ears, a tic he often displayed under stress. Unfortunately, since he was holographically disguised, it looked as if he was grabbing at midair, the action doing nothing to assure either of the room's occupants of his sanity.

"Okay. This will go a lot quicker if I show you something. But I need you both to promise that you won't tell _anybody_ about this, okay?"

Both mother and daughter nodded, hesitantly. Taking this as a promise, Gar removed his ring. Rachel couldn't contain a gasp as tan gave way to green, and blond hair that had reminded her of corn flickered into grass, and a fang appeared protruding from his lower lip, and two batlike ears sprang from the side of his head. He bowed, sheepishly.

After a while, Rachel spoke. "Well…this puts a whole new perspective on things."

Angela's face lit up in recognition. "I know you; you're one of those heroes I've seen on the news."

Gar nodded. "Beast Boy. I didn't choose the name. I wanted to be called Changeling, but the press disagreed. Anyway, that isn't the issue. What's important now is to stop Rae's powers going haywire. Everything else can wait."

Angela looked at her daughter, seeming to register the change in colours for the first time. "Powers? How?"

Rachel was about to answer, when the lift opened, disgorging two red haired teenagers. The male looked at Beast Boy.

"…Gar…I hate you forever…" He wheezed.

Starfire dropped the packages she was carrying. "Rachel? What are you doing here?" She asked, glancing nervously at Beast Boy's left hand.

"I'm sorry, my daughter has _powers_?"

"Rae, you got powers? Neat. What can you do?"

"Garfield, what is going on?"

"THERE'S TOO MANY FREAKING PEOPLE IN HERE!!" Gar screamed, getting everyone's attention, and he immediately took charge. "Alright. Star, make coffee. Rachel, your job is to sit down, and stay calm. Mrs. Roth, your job is to keep Rachel calm. Wally…stand in a corner and look pretty. I have a phone call to make." He winced at the thought, as everyone moved to complete their respective tasks. _This won't be fun._

* * *

Gar sat in his room, in an attempt to get a little privacy. The phone rang, three times, and then was answered.

"_Steve Dayton speaking."_

"Steve."

The voice on the other end took on a granite tone.

"_Garfield."_

"I need a favour." He admitted grudgingly.

"_Another one? How much do you need this time?"_

Beast Boy sighed. "I don't need your money. I need you to help me get in contact with a magic user. A _good_ magic user. A friend of mine is in trouble."

"_Well…there is one person I can think of. He's a bit…eccentric."_

"Well, he'll fit right in here then."

* * *

"So, you would be Kid Flash, then." Angela said, in an attempt to fill the awkward silence that had settled once Gar had gone to make a phone call and Kory- who was floating, which did nothing to ease Rachel's already fragile state of mind- was engaged in making coffee and tea.

"What gave it away?"

"The hair."

Wally nodded. "That's why I wear this awful hat all the time. Most of my classmates don't have a clue what my hair colour is."

Rachel spoke up. "How fast can you actually go? I often wondered."

Wally thought. "I'm not sure. I usually stick to below Mach 1. A sonic boom in the middle of the city would be a really bad idea."

Gar stepped out of his room, phone in hand.

"Alright, I called our man. Rachel, the doctor should be here soon."

_Doctor?_ Rachel was about to inquire exactly who Beast Boy had contacted, but was distracted by the sight of a six foot tall Ankh symbol suddenly glowing in the air in the middle of the room.


	9. The Hands of Fate

**Chapter Nine: The Hands of Fate.**

A golden helmet emerged from the glowing Ankh, followed by broad shoulders covered in a cloak of gold weave, covering a blue suit. As the symbol faded, the imposing figure of Dr. Fate was revealed to the assembled group.

"What is the problem?" His voice had an incongruously nasal and muffled quality, probably stemming from his helmet.

Beast Boy stepped forward. "Well, my friend here" he waved a hand at Rachel "has developed what looks like magic powers, and it would be nice if you would help her deal with that."

Dr. Fate swooped over to the girl, who still looked as if she hadn't caught up with reality just yet.

"Hmm." He stared in her eyes, and then placed a finger on her temple. "Her power is empathetic in nature."

"What does that mean?" Rachel asked.

"They're linked to your emotions. The more you feel, the more power you release." He frowned.

"So if I have emotions, I'll blow things up?" Rachel looked less than pleased at the prospect.

Fate shook his head. "Not if this works. Brace yourself, this is going to hurt." With that, he placed an index finger to her forehead, and Rachel suddenly screamed.

Wally quickly grabbed Angela's arm, to hold her back. It would look bad if one of the most powerful mages in existence was throttled by an angry mother.

Rachel's breathing slowed, and she brushed a hand over where Fate had touched. Embedded in her head was a small red gem.

"A _Chakra_ stone. It will absorb any unwanted releases of power."

Rachel nodded slightly, still recovering from the intense bolt of pain.

"Rachel, in order for me to help you, I need to know how your powers were triggered." Fate said.

Rachel simply pointed a hand at Malchior's book, lying discarded on the floor. Fate strode over to it and picked it up between thumb and forefinger.

"What is this?"

Rachel's voice wavered as she explained. "There was a…I thought it was a man…trapped in there. He told me that he could teach me magic. He did, and then he got me to release him."

Beast Boy cut in, to divert the stares Rachel was getting, to her eternal gratitude. "I saw what happened next. The thing that came out of the book was a dragon. I attacked him, but he kinda kicked my ass. Rachel zapped him with something, and sucked him back into the book. There was an explosion, and when I saw Rachel she was like that." He indicated her skin and hair.

"Hmm." Fate gazed at Rachel. "I have some theories. Did he teach you spells?"

Rachel nodded.

"In that case it is most likely that he was using you as a conduit. You were probably simply channelling his power.

Contrary to many simplistic beliefs, magic words are, nine times out of ten, meaningless. It is likely he simply made up some convincing gibberish to make you think that you could see the cause for the magic. In fact, all _real_ magic requires is willpower and concentration. Words simply act as a focal point for your mind. They also serve to make magic users a little less intimidating to the uninitiated. I myself rarely use words, while another mage I know of, a shameless showboater, is reputed to use inverted commands for every spell she casts."

Rachel blinked. "But he said he was waiting for me. There was a picture of me in the book."

Fate glanced down at the book in his gloved hands. "Perhaps you were simply convenient, or he was clairvoyant." He sounded suspicious.

"So why have I turned grey?"

"Perhaps he intended to kill you, and his spell misfired. It should be easy to reverse." With that, he waved a hand, trailing a light blue glow behind it, and sent a wash of blue light towards Rachel.

What happened next, only Wally had the reflexes to comprehend. As soon as Fate's power touched Rachel, it dissipated, and Dr. Fate was sent flying backwards, slamming into a wall. Starfire was instantly by his side, lifting him up.

"Are you undamaged, friend?" Rachel was staring in horror, her pigmentation unchanged. If Fate noticed that several empty coffee mugs had been encased in black light, he did not draw attention to it.

Fate shook his head. "That was definitely _not_ the intended result." He paced back over to Rachel. "I think that I shall have to conduct further research. May I take this?" He held up the book.

Rachel nodded without a moment's hesitation. "You shall be reimbursed, of course. How much did you pay for this book?"

"Err… twenty five dollars." Wordlessly, Dr. Fate reached into a hidden pocket and withdrew the correct amount, handing it to Rachel.

"One more thing." Fate said. "You will find that meditation will become necessary if you use your powers too much. I suggest you find a mantra."

Rachel frowned. "What, like 'Peace, Quiet, Tranquility'?"

Fate nodded. "That would do. It sounds more elegant in the Old Tongue. _'Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos.'_"

"Azerath, Metriom-"

"Metri_on_."

"-Metri_on_, Zynthos."

Fate shook his head. "You're overpronouncing it. 'Zinthos'."

"Zinthos."

Fate nodded. "I take my leave." With that, he extended his arms and vanished in a flash of Egyptian symbolism.


	10. Arrival

**Chapter Ten: Arrival.**

Beast Boy looked around his home. Both he and Angela had agreed that Rachel should stay in the base that night, and Rachel had grudgingly agreed. She was now dozing on the sofa, as the sun bled red on the horizon. Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his shoulder, and he turned to see Angela indicating that she wished to talk. They both headed into the study, where Beast Boy offered her a seat. She spoke as soon as he closed the door.

"Beast Boy-"

"Gar, please."

"As you wish. Gar, do you have any plans for dragging my daughter into your business?"

"You mean superheroing?"

Angela nodded. Gar sighed.

"I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't occurred to me. She could really do some good. But I won't suggest it to her. If she wants to join, I'll welcome her, but it has to be her decision, as well as yours."

"Do your parents approve of your exploits?" She asked.

Gar looked distant for a second. "I was raised by superheroes. They didn't mind, although we're not on the best of terms at the moment."

"I'm sorry."

"'S'not your fault. Anyway, if she wanted to be a superhero, would you stop her?"

Angela thought for a while. "While I can't say I'm thrilled by the prospect of my daughter putting herself in harm's way, it would be her decision, and I trust that she can make her own decisions."

Gar grinned. "Tell you what, if she does become a hero, I promise that I'll make sure she's alright."

Angela nodded. "Very well. It's a deal." She extended her hand, which Gar shook, before leaving the room to check on his guest.

* * *

He arrived in the living room to find Starfire hovering concernedly over Rachel's sleeping form.

"Hey Star. Where's Wally?"

Starfire turned to look at him. "He left a short while ago. He seemed somewhat distracted."

"Eh, he's probably been cooped up too long." Starfire looked back at Rachel, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Do you think she shall join us?" She asked.

"I don't know. I wouldn't mention it to her, though. If she wants to join, we'll support her all the way. If she just wants a normal life, we'll support her in that, too. We're not gonna draft anyone."

Starfire nodded, and floated away. Beast Boy turned on the GameStation, quickly muting the sound so as not to disturb the couch's other occupant. Neither he nor Starfire were aware that Rachel was fully awake.

* * *

Wally looked around, and saw the red sky drop all the way down to the horizon. He loved it when that happened.

Rachel's question had been nagging at the back of his mind for a while.

Just how fast _could_ he go? Well, this evening he was going to find out.

He bent over into the sprinter's starting position, and then sprang forwards at the sound of an inaudible starter's pistol. The earth quaked as his feet smashed the ground like pistons and his hands sliced through the air and he ran faster and faster and he was sure he should have hit the sound barrier by now and he ran so fast he was catching up to the horizon and stones were dancing at his feet and leaping into the air as he approached and sparks were dancing across his skin and he _definitely _should have broken the sound barrier by now and he was going faster than he ever had before and lightning was arcing off him and

Suddenly he felt something grab his bicep, and he was thrown to the ground. The momentum he had built up meant he bounced off the ground and twisted in midair, slamming into the earth and eventually sliding to a halt.

Gulping down air, Wally looked up at a familiar silhouette. He recognised the figure- the barrel chest, the muscled frame, and the iconic helmet all pointed to the legendary Flash. The first Flash, who had served America in World War Two. Wally remembered him from propaganda posters in the history classes, and had even had the honour of meeting the man a few times. Jay Garrick.

The individual before him was _not_ Jay Garrick. The figure seemed composed entirely of dull purple energy, with a pair of off-white eyes. The eyes terrified Wally. They were simply two discs of dull light, baleful and soulless.

"**Flash?" **The figure said, without moving its mouth.

"Close enough." Wally replied, getting to his feet. "What do you want?"

He dodged the first blow, but not the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. Kid Flash staggered back, reeling in pain. He was in no condition to fight; the run had taken a lot out of him. He needed to get away, and _fast_.

With a backward glance, Kid Flash ran back towards Jump. He felt himself calm as the familiar feeling of speed washed over him. He glanced over his shoulder.

The figure was gaining. The being's feet were tearing up the earth, he was leaning forwards, his arms splayed behind him in a V. The dust cloud behind him was worthy of a locomotive.

_Aw shit_. Wally hit the main road to Jump, his speed melting the tarmac beneath his boots. The Rival followed suit, ripping the road to shreds as he ran.

Kid Flash looked up at the heavens, and issued a desperate prayer to any Gods that might be listening, and dived off the road into a shrubbery. The Rival kept going.

Kid Flash breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

"Victor! Keep your eyes on the road! You're going to have an accident!"

Victor scoffed. "Aw, come on, mom. There's no one around to _hit_. We'll be fine."

His mother remained unconvinced. "It only takes one to make an accident."

Victor sighed. "Fine. Look, eyes forward, hands in the ten and two position, seatbelt on, I'm fine."

"Thank you. You know how I worry sometimes."

Neither of them saw the purple streak barrelling towards them until it was far, far too late.


	11. A Rival

Chapter Eleven: A Rival

**Chapter Eleven: A Rival.**

Rachel's eyes flickered open, and she sat up, rolling her stiff neck. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, to wring the sleep out of them, and was confronted with a grey palm.

She sat on the sofa and stared at her hands, trying to get her head around the events of the previous twenty-four hours.

She sat there, staring at her hands, for a long time.

* * *

Gar yawned expansively, and rolled out of bed. Shifting into a cat, he stretched, and left his room, reverting to his elfin form. Whatever plans he had for the day were derailed when he saw Rachel sitting on the sofa, a vacant look on her face. He recognised the thoughts behind that look. He walked over to her, and leant over the back of the sofa.

"Coffee?"

Rachel turned around, returning to reality. "No, thank you. I prefer herbal tea, if you have any."

"I'll see." With that, he walked into the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Would you settle for normal tea? It's all we got, I'm afraid."

"That's fine, thanks." Rachel replied, distractedly.

After a while, Beast Boy returned, proffering a mug, which Rachel took, but made no move to drink.

"So, how're you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, and Gar had to admire her acting skills, at least.

"Oh, don't give me that. _No one_ goes through a change like that and stays so blasé."

Rachel sighed. "I don't know. It's…overwhelming."

"And right now you're wondering when you're gonna wake up, right?" Gar grinned.

"In a way. I'm just wondering where I took the turn into an insane world."

"The moment you were born, probably." Gar's face turned serious. "But if there's ever anything you wanna talk about, and I mean _anything_, I'm here. And I can probably understand as well. I mean, I wasn't _born_ green, after all."

This reminded Rachel of her current pigmentation. "Oh…this is gonna cause problems tomorrow." She said, pointing at her hands.

"Oh! I forgot." Gar exclaimed, fishing in his pockets. "Here." He started to hand her a ring, but paused. "You _did _have blue eyes, right?"

Rachel nodded, ignoring the weight in her chest that increased when he said _did_.

"Cool. Glad I configured it right, then." With that, he handed her the ring, and she put it on. Instantly, grey became flesh, and blue turned black. Beast Boy felt a compliment on her appearance would be appropriate, but didn't know how to word one without making her "real" colours seem ugly, which was an issue he _desperately_ wanted to avoid provoking. So he settled on a reassuring smile, instead.

"Thanks." Rachel said, trying to ignore the sight of her reflection in the window. It seemed to taunt her. "Thanks for your help."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Eh, it was nothing."

"Nonetheless, I would quite like to go home now."

Beast Boy nodded. "I'll give you the phone; you can call your mom." Suddenly he stopped, and his left hand twitched. "On second thoughts, it's on the wall by the kitchen. I gotta go, bye."

With that, he leapt out of the open window, and flew away. Rachel stared out of the window, undeniably curious as to what flying was like. She quickly crushed those errant thoughts as she moved towards the phone.

* * *

Gar landed next to Starfire, who was looking around in confusion. He noted with increasing dread a large bruise on the side her face. It took a lot to bruise a Tameranean.

"Beast Boy, can you see- look out!" Starfire cried, and before he could react he felt a force slam into his back, sending him flying forwards. He looked up, but there was no sign of an attacker.

"Star, get airbourne!" He shouted, and she complied, floating upwards and readying two Starbolts. Beast Boy saw a purple flash out of the corner of his eye, and wheeled to face his opponent.

He never stood a chance. The blur of a foe smashed his face with an unseen fist, and then hammered the back of his head as he went down, only to bring his knee up again to meet Beast Boy's descending and bloodied head. This landed Beast Boy flat on his back, and the figure stopped still for the first time. Beast Boy stared blearily at a vaguely familiar figure, although he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. As the figure raised a leg over Gar's head, and the leg began to blur and Beast Boy could feel the heat radiating off it, the apparition was distracted by a hail of Starbolts. Not distracted enough to actually be _hit_, but enough that he pulled away from the fallen hero.

As Starfire was too high to reach, the figure suddenly began to run in very small circles directly below her. Before she could figure out what was happening, she was caught in a whirling maelstrom that slammed her into a building. As she staggered to her feet, their opponent rammed into her, knocking her over. Grabbing her by a foot, he spun like a top, releasing Starfire so that she hurtled through the air and came violently to rest across the street, smashing the pavement.

* * *

Wally ran towards the emergency, hoping against hope that it wasn't what he full well knew it was going to be. As he rounded the corner, the first thing he saw was his teammates, lying comatose on the pavement. The second thing he saw was the cause of their predicament. After that, he developed a kind of tunnel vision.

The purple aberration turned towards him, cold light pulsing from his eyes.

"**Are you going to fight me, **_**boy**_**?"**

Wally shifted his stance, ready to attack at far, far less than a second's notice. His mouth was a grim slash, and his hands curled reflexively into fists.

"Hell yes."

* * *

_**I know I stole one line from JLU, but it just fit too well for me not to.**_


	12. The Fastest Boy Alive

**Chapter Twelve: The Fastest Boy Alive**

Wally and the Rival slammed into each other, trading blows at such velocity that any observers would have seen nothing more than two smears of colour smashing into each other and ricocheting off each other like pinballs, the purple of the Rival hammering against a blended mess of orange. After this cursory exchange, they came to rest a few metres apart, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Waiting had never been Wally's strong suit. Rushing forward, he caught the Rival with an uppercut that sent him flying into the air through sheer velocity, as opposed to any physical strength. As the purple figure fell back to the earth, Wally was there, delivering a devastating series of blows to his torso. As the figure struggled to maintain his balance, Wally drew his foot back, and delivered thirty four hyperspeed kicks to the Rival in four seconds. If the Rival had been human, every rib would have been powder.

Wally gulped down air, exhausted by the physical exertion and no longer running on adrenaline. Thus, he was more than disappointed when the Rival rose to his feet, with no evidence of damage.

"Aw crud."

The Rival surged towards Wally, who ducked beneath his hammer of a fist, and retaliated by lashing out at his kneecap. Trading blows, Wally found that the Rival was attacking faster and faster and Wally couldn't keep up with him. Wally pushed himself to his absolute limit, his muscles burning and his tendons threatening to unravel and he was just able to stay on par with his demonic enemy.

Neither of the combatants noticed the way lightning had started to highlight Wally's frame, dancing across his costume.

The Rival punched forwards, knocking Wally flat on his back. As his enemy walked towards him, Wally surged to his feet, delivering an uppercut as he went. The force of the blow knocked the Rival into the air, and as he came down Wally positioned himself beneath him, hammering upwards with a volley of punches that kept the Rival in the air. However, the purple being flicked his foot at Kid Flash's head as he came down again, forcing Wally to deflect the strike instead of pushing the offensive.

Wally was getting frustrated. Whatever he did, no matter how much damage he inflicted, the Rival seemed to take in his stride. In fact, the harder Wally hit, the faster he went, the more the Rival seemed to grow in power.

Wally scowled, and tried a move that would almost certainly have meant instant death for any normal person. Dodging a wayward fist, he jabbed thirteen different nerve endings on the Rival's body, and finished with a move that his uncle had dubbed "the Machine Gun", delivering ten punches a second with both hands, causing the Rival's body to writhe under the punishment. Satisfied, Wally stopped, and stepped back to examine the condition of his enemy. He appeared to be steaming, but there didn't seem to be anything else to show for Wally's supersonic assault.

Kid Flash facepalmed. _Wally, you idiot. It's a being of pure energy. It doesn't _have_ nerve endings._

Suddenly, the Rival smashed Wally's side with a blow that sent him sprawling. Wally scrambled up onto his elbows, only for a purple knee to land on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"**Not fast enough, **_**boy**_**." **The creature said, and chuckled. Wally would have felt less unnerved if its mouth had moved while it spoke.

As Wally squirmed, he felt a huge hand clasp his throat, and another put two fingers next to Wally's temple. Wally's eyes darted to this hand, and broke out in a cold sweat as the fingers began to vibrate at high speed. Frantically, he made the most of his hyperactive brain.

_C'mon, Wally, think. There's gotta be something uncle Barry taught you that you can use. Think, think! Vibration? No good, he'd just absorb it. Friction burn? No, it doesn't look like he feels pain. Speed stealing-_

_Speed stealing!_

Wally snapped his hands up and clasped the side of the Rival's head. He concentrated, and called out to the Speed Force, slowly but surely sucking away at the Rival's power. It appeared to be working, as the Rival's fingers stopped vibrating, and Wally thought he could see daylight through the inverted thunderbolt on the Rival's chest. Wally, feeling his enemy weaken, forced him off his chest, and stood, still gripping the Rival's head. Lightning played around the two, arcing off into the surrounding area, and the Rival screamed, a high, keening screech that woke Kid Flash's teammates. As Starfire and Beast Boy scrambled to the source of the terrible noise, they saw Kid Flash grasping the Rival, who was slowly becoming transparent, until nothing was left but a heat haze and a pair of baleful and terrible eyes and then there was nothing at all, just Wally West standing amongst the ruins of a street, electricity sparking off him, and a strange haze surrounding him.

* * *

"Waaalllyyy, youuu okaaay?"

Kid Flash turned his head, and saw Gar and Starfire running towards him, moving as if they were underwater.

"Duuude, youuuuu alright? Yooooou look kindaaaa fuzzzzzy." Beast Boy said, inching his hand to Wally's shoulder. He yelped, slowly, and moved his hand away.

"Duuude, you're buuurning!"

Wally couldn't take it any longer. Without a backward glance, he ran away from the city. As the landscape blurred around him, he took a deep breath and counted to ten. He knew that ten seconds of running at this speed should take him to the city limits. He opened his eyes, and looked around.

Jump City was nowhere in sight.

--


	13. Consequences

Chapter Thirteen: Consequences

**Chapter Thirteen: Consequences.**

Rachel lay in bed, watching the sun make its way across the ceiling. She was still wearing the holoring.

"Rachel? It's time to get up." Angela's voice was accompanied by a knock on the door, and Rachel felt something akin to a wash of cool air, but not exactly, emanate from her mother.

She groaned audibly, and felt the strange feeling intensify. It wasn't something that could be explained. Trying to put it into words was like trying to explain the concept of red to someone who had been blind from birth. And it scared the hell out of her.

"I don't think I can do this." She said, and pulled the covers over her head.

Angela entered the room, and was instantly at her daughter's side.

"Okay, dear. I understand." She said, although they both knew full well that she didn't, and couldn't. "I'll call the school, and tell them that you're sick today."

Rachel nodded, and watched as her mother left. Once she was alone, she sat and stared at the mirror on her dresser, forlornly removing and replacing the holoring.

--

"Hey, man, you seen Vic? I haven't seen him yet." Gar asked, and Dick looked at him strangely.

"You haven't heard? He's in hospital."

The group froze. "Is he alright?"

"I don't know. All I know is he was in a car crash on Saturday evening. They won't let anyone go see him, so I guess it's gotta be pretty bad."

Wally spoke up. "Do you know…what he hit? Was it another car?"

Dick shook his head. "They're saying it was something to do with that purple monster that was roaming around at the weekend." He replied.

Wally shook his head, looking, to Dick's faint surprise, slightly nauseous. "I gotta go."

With that, he left, followed by a green pair of eyes.

--

Wally felt like he was going to throw up. He made his way into a corner, preparing for a good old-fashioned freakout.

"Wallace? Are you there?"

Obviously, someone wanted to impede that.

"Yeah, Kory? What is it?" He managed, by dint of considerable effort, to get his voice under control.

Starfire frowned. "Wallace, are you alright?"

Wally scowled. "I just found out I managed to put a friend of mine in traction. No, I'm not alright, alright?"

Starfire frowned. "But you did nothing. It was that creature-"

"That thing only got here because I let it." Wally snapped. "Look, last Friday I tried going as fast as I could. Ya know, to test my limits. I ended up skimming the Speed Force, which meant that _thing_ could get a hold of me and come here."

Starfire looked nonplussed. "Please, what is this 'Speed Force'?"

"I'm not really sure. It's kinda like another dimension, where all Speedsters get their powers from. It's also where we go when we die. Whatever that thing was, it musta been trapped in there, probably by the first Flash."

"Your uncle? You have spoken of him often."

Wally shook his head. "No. The _first_ Flash. From the forties. I think he's still around. His powers have retarded his aging, somehow." Wally's brain decided that it was time this Guilt Trip was back underway. "And I let it out, and it smashed up Vic, and now he's in hospital."

Starfire picked up Wally by the biceps, as if he were an errant pet, and stared at him. "Did you mean to let the creature loose?"

"No, but-"

"Did you know that the creature existed?"

"No, but-"

"Did you hit Victor's car?"

"No-"

"Then it is not your fault. I am sure Victor would not appreciate you blaming yourself." With that, she dropped Wally on the floor. "Are you feeling better?"

"I guess." He did, slightly.

"Good." With that, she walked away.

--

Wally sat in Chemistry, staring out of the window.

"West!"

He kept on staring. His gaze was drawn to a bird sitting in a tree.

"West! The properties of Argon!"

The bird took off. Wally frowned. It seemed to be flying very slowly. Something flying that slowly should drop out of the air. He flicked his head to the clock on the wall. The second hand moved. He counted to ten, in his head. The second hand moved again. Flicking to look at the teacher, he saw her mouth move, her lips preparing to form words again. Suddenly, the world came back into focus.

"West!-"

Wally sighed, and recited parrot fashion. "Atomic number eighteen, third of the noble gases, present in the Earth's atmosphere at 0.93 per cent. Its notable characteristics include the fact that it is colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-toxic, so the fact that they managed to find it is a feat in itself. Unlike most noble gases, it has difficulty forming compounds, so all in all it's pretty useless."

"Err, thank you, West, although next time try and keep the commentary to yourself." The teacher replied.

Wally went back to staring out of the window.

--

Blackness. That was what greeted Victor Stone when he regained perception of his world. Blackness. And two voices, a man and a woman. The woman seemed to be speaking.

"We should get Silas involved. He has the know-how for this project."

"Isn't that a bit callous, Amanda? He has just lost a wife. And it _is_ his son we're working on."

_What?...The car crash. Oh no._

"Hah. He can't let this opportunity pass him by. If he doesn't want to work on this project, he'll miss out on the Nobel. Besides, you'd think he'd want to make sure his son survived."

"But still, don't you think that outfitting the exoskeleton with all these…_unnecessary_…upgrades is a little callous? After all, he's only a teenager."

"We have to keep our contractors happy. Get on the phone to Stark Industries. We may need a loan of some of their prototypes."

When the click of high heels had faded, Victor was left alone in the dark. That conversation had yielded one piece of information he understood, and he wished to hell he didn't. His mother was dead.


	14. Logical Recourse

Chapter Fourteen: Logical Recourse

**Chapter Fourteen: Logical Recourse**

The half term had arrived, and there had been no news of Victor. All that anyone could say was that he was in hospital still, and couldn't receive visitors.

Rachel sat on her bed, deep in thought.

It had been nigh on a month and a half since her…_altercation_…with Malchior, and she had acclimatised enough to the idea for her brain to wander the path it had now taken.

After sitting for some time, weighing up options, contemplating positives and negatives, she reached for her phone. Selecting a name from her caller list, she put it to her ear and heard an answer at the third ring.

"Yello?"

"Gar? It's Rachel."

"Rae? What can I do for you?"

"I need to get in touch with Dr. Fate."

--

In a tower without a door, an old fashioned wall telephone rang. A female figure strode over to the device, and lifted the earpiece, standing close, to speak into the mouthpiece.

"Yes?"

"Is this Dr. Fate's residence?"

"Yes."

"Could I speak to him, please?"

"Yes."

Rachel fought the feeling that she was talking to a recording. "Can you say anything other than 'yes'?"

"Yes." The woman stood away from the telephone for a moment, and spoke quietly. "Kent, there is someone who wishes to talk to you."

Instantly, a flash of gold heralded the arrival of Dr. Fate. He walked over to the telephone, and graciously accepted the earpiece, which he raised to his helmet.

"Yes? Ms Roth, I presume?"

Rachel blinked. "Yeah."

"Is this about your…_gifts_?"

"You could say that. I think I'm ready to start to learn how to control them, at least a little. I was wondering if you could help me."

"Of course. When would you like to start?"

"As soon as possible, please."

"You realise that I cannot properly teach you in Jump City. You would have to come here, to my home."

Rachel frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I am afraid so. There is nowhere else that I can safely teach you." As if sensing her sudden trepidation, he continued. "I suggest you do whatever you need to there, and call me when you feel you are ready. Take as long as you need."

"Thanks," she replied, and ended the call.

--

"I'm going with you," Angela said when she heard the news.

"Why?"

"Because, dear, he may be a world-renowned wizard and all the rest, but when it comes down to it he is an older man inviting a sixteen-year old girl to stay in his tower. If that doesn't strike you as at least a _little_ suspect, I don't know what does. We've never even seen his _face_."

After a short discussion, Rachel acquiesced, more for her mother's peace of mind than anything else. She knew from experience that there was _no_ arguing with a worried mother, especially if you were handicapped by the need to stick to logic. Angela had no such obligations.

And it _was_ a little creepy, when you put it like that.

--

**Initial system check- 98 per cent complete.**

**Initial system check- 99 per cent complete.**

**Initial system check- 100 per cent complete. All systems on line.**

"Victor? Can you hear me?"

Victor's eyes flickered open, and immediately there was something wrong.

Right in front of him was his father's worried countenance. Victor could clearly see him, every pore on his face picked out in perfect clarity. The problem was, Victor had always been long sighted. He looked around, and stared upwards at a bright light overhead. He stared straight into it, but felt no ill-effects. He could see the damn filament with perfect clarity. Turning back to his father, he fixed him with a steel gaze.

"What did you _do_ to me?"

--

"Gar?"

"Yeah, Rae?"

"I have…news."

"Good or bad?"

"I'm not too sure. I'm going to be away for a while."

"Oh? How long?"

"I'm not sure. At least a couple of weeks. Mom is going to cover for me with the school."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to be studying with Dr. Fate. I think that if I'm going to be stuck with these abilities permanently, then it would probably be smart to learn how to control them. Just in case."

"Sure. When are you leaving?"

"Now."

"And you called me just to say goodbye? I'm touched." A chuckle.

"Well, _someone_ has to know where I'm going, and I can't get through to Dick."

Another chuckle. "Just as well, really. 'Hi, Dick. Just calling to let you know I'm not going to be around for a while. I'm off studying to become a wizard.'" Mock hurt crept into his voice. "And are you saying I was just _convenient_? Ouch."

"Yup. You're strictly utilitarian."

"Well, have a good time, I guess. I'm sure you'll have fun."

"It's gonna be a lot of work. I'll come back exhausted, I'm sure, and able to do nothing more than lift pieces of paper."

"I'm sure that before the week is out you'll have the power to kill a yak. From two hundred yards away. With mind bullets."

"Oh, shut up. I'm hanging up now."

"No you aren't."

"Yes I am."

"No, you're telling me that you're hanging up, which is _lying_, you immoral woman."

"You're incorrigible."

"Hey! I'm insulted. What does 'incorrigible' mean? ...She hung up on me? No fair."

--

It had been two hours since he had woken up, and he had eventually been persuaded to calm down. Currently he was glaring at his reflection in the mirror that adorned one wall. His father stood to one side, nervously running his fingers through the grey fuzz of his hair.

"Victor, I-"

"Just _shut up_, old man. All my life, you've _used_ me, forced me to be what you wanted me to be. And all my life, I've _fought_ you. I remember just how disappointed you were when I refused to keep any sciences. Imagine the shame, Silas Stone, with an _English Student_ for a son!"

He sat down on a bench, and put his head in his hands, closing his eyes to block out the sight of the burnished steel.

"But it doesn't make a difference now, man. You've won. I'm _exactly_ what you want me to be- a god damn _science project_."

He stood, and slammed a fist into the wall, denting it.

"I _hate_ you, old man. _I hate you_!"

When he looked at his father, his human eye was filled with tears, and his voice was all but hysterical.

"Damn it, why didn't you just let me _die_? _Why couldn't you let me die_?"

Silas left the room without a word. There were none to be said after something like that. However, as he left, one of his cohorts, a portly black woman in an expensive suit, muttered a command to one of the technicians monitoring Victor through the two way mirror. The technician pressed a button, and immediately Victor's room was filled with knockout gas. It wouldn't do for the subject to act so wildly so son after waking.

**--**

**Yeah, yeah, it's been a while, I know. Tough cheese. I can't guarantee that the next update will be any sooner, I'm afraid.**


	15. Hospital Visit

Chapter Fifteen: Hospital Visit

**Chapter Fifteen: Hospital Visit.**

It had been three days since the subject had woken up, and Waller had been convinced that he might benefit from a visit from his friends.

And so it was that Wally, Dick, Kory and Gar were at that moment being escorted by Waller through the bowels of S.T.A.R Labs. All four had signed statements swearing them to silence as to anything they might see there. That in itself had sobered the mood, and raised many questions pertaining to the state of their friend.

Waller had fielded their questions as bet she could, according to her own stringent security requirements. Needless to say, they were unsatisfied with the answers they received.

"What's that?" Gar asked, pointing to a hulking, humanoid machine, in red and gold. It stood to one side, its usefulness outlived.

"That's the ATLAS armour. It's on loan from Stark International. We needed to consult it for the project." Amanda replied offhandedly.

It worried Dick that she unconsciously referred to the treatment of his friend as "the project". A lot of things worried him about this whole situation.

Eventually, they arrived at a small observation room, with a two-way mirror on one wall. Inside was Victor Stone, the world's first cyborg.

Gar's voice punctured the stunned silence.

"That is _so_ cool…"

--

Starfire had always felt awkward around Amanda Waller. It was hard not to. The woman was the most Machiavellian person the alien had ever met. Within three days of her arrival on Earth, and within two of being taken in by Gar, Amanda had arrived on their doorstep, with a squad of military police at her back. Gar had eventually been able to persuade her that Starfire should stay in the room while her future was discussed, and even that concession had been hard-won.

Eventually, the three had come to an accord. Starfire would remain on Earth, and would be permitted to join Gar and Wally in their fledgling crimefighting force. In return, she was Gar's direct responsibility, and Amanda demanded to be linked irremovably to the group.

While this had its perks- it explained why Gar had been able to get information on that psychosis inducer- it was an uneasy peace. Starfire was sure that Amanda would have been equally happy to lock her up and return her to Tameran- or the Citadel.

No, Starfire would never like Amanda Waller, but she would tolerate her, if only for Victor's sake. He looked as if he would need it.

Starfire watched as Victor picked up a can of soda from a table on the side, with exaggerated care. Eventually he was able to open it, with excruciating precision, and took a swig. Unfortunately, his hand twitched an immeasurably small fraction, as nerves do sometimes, and the can was crushed instantly, covering him in the sugary liquid.

With a howl of hot frustration, Victor compressed the can into a tiny ball and hurled it at the wall, where it dented; overcome by this small example of his unnatural state, with all he connotations it held for his life, he proceeded to destroy everything he could get his hands on, unaware that he had an audience, who were feeling more uncomfortable by the second.

Waller, of course, did not react, and Starfire found herself wanting to punch the woman.

--

Rachel stood on the roof of Dr. Fate's tower, preparing for her first lesson.

"Rachel, when I give the word, I want you to focus on this." From the recesses of his robes he produced a small red ball, and placed it on an outdoor table. "Focus to the point where nothing in your world exists apart from the ball and yourself. Begin."

Rachel stared at the ball, trying to force a kind of tunnel vision, cutting out Dr. Fate, the rooftop garden, the strange feeling at the back of her head that told her that her mother was behind her, and she was worried, until all she saw was the ridiculous red ball. She memorised the angle of the curve, the way it flattened slightly at the ground, the way the early evening shadows rested on it, the way the ebony flames licked at its edges-

"Excellent," Dr. Fate said, and her concentration was broken. "That was remarkable."

"Why? I didn't _do_ anything, not really." Rachel found herself slightly disheartened by the slow pace Dr. Fate was implying, although she had expected little else.

"The mere fact that you were able to exert any conscious control over your powers is remarkable at this stage. Have you been practicing meditation, as I recommended?"

"A little," she mumbled. She had only tried it twice, sitting cross-legged in her room, chanting the mantra Dr. Fate had told her. The first time, she had fallen asleep. The second time, she had sat there for half an hour, and nothing noticeable had happened other than the fact that she had felt like an idiot and her throat had grown sore.

"You shall have to meditate every day you are learning here. My wife is a better teacher in that field than I, I am sure she can teach you. We are done for today. You can go anywhere you wish in the living quarters, excluding the red-shelved area of the library, and my study. Do not hesitate to ask Inza or myself if there is anything you require."

As Rachel and Angela descended into the tower, Dr. Fate remained, the concerned scowl he wore perfectly masked by his helmet.

--

Late that evening, Dr. Fate loomed over a bookstand, a tome bound in white leather the object of his attentions.

"I am going to ask you one more time, worm. Why did you choose Rachel as a conduit?"

"You think I'm going to tell _you_, Nabu-puppet?"

"I don't think your personal opinion is important. However, the more…_unpleasant_ methods I have at my disposal are slow, and far less civilised than simply asking you."

Malchior seemed unfazed by the thinly-veiled threat.

"Tell me, marionette, does that helmet simply give you power? Or is the soul of that Egyptian conjuror still rattling around in there? It is, isn't it?"

"Silence, worm. I find your lack of courtesy tiresome."

"Now, did you think that, or did he? Come on, Kent, do you _really_ think that you could just put on the gloves and the cloak and the tin hat and _poof_, you're a wizard? Face it, mortal, you're being subsumed. Soon enough, you won't be Kent Nelson any more, you'll be Nabu. And what will your dear wife think? When she finds out the man she married isn't, as it were?"

Dr. Fate moved away from the book without a word. Malchior made full use of the silence.

"Still don't believe me? When you put on he helmet, it isn't just your power that increases, is it? You _remember _things. Things you never knew. You see faces that you've never come across, and find yourself putting names to them. How do you explain that?"

Dr. Fate's reply came in the form of a bolt of yellow lightning, which seared the pages of the book. Malchior screamed, and Fate sighed.

It was going to be a long night. But he had to keep going. He had a feeling the answers were important.

**--**

**Alright, so another chapter somewhat sooner than last time. Meh, you get lucky sometimes.**

**And hello, kerricarri. You've gone silent. Which usually means I've done something horribly wrong.**


	16. The Seventeen Million Dollar Man

Chapter Sixteen: The Seventeen Million Dollar Man

**Chapter Sixteen: The Seventeen Million Dollar Man.**

"Vic?"

Victor looked up to see his friends in the interview room. His mechanical eye picked up a series of anomalous readings coming from Gar and Kory, and he frowned.

"Oh. It's you guys," he said, stonily. "What do you want?"

_At least they haven't run off screaming. Yet._

"We wished to see you, friend. We were most concerned as to your condition."

Victor's scowl deepened. "Well, now you know. Victor Stone, the Modern Prometheus. Sounds about right." Seeing that the literary allusion was lost on them, he sighed, and elaborated. "I'm a science project. My life is pretty much over. All that's left is being flaunted in front of the Nobel committee, and any other scientists that want a gawk."

"Dude, don't say that. I know how you-"

"How can you? How the hell can you understand what it's like to be a…a…_freak_?!"

Gar winced slightly, and looked sidelong at Kory for a moment. She nodded, and Wally turned to Dick.

"Come on man; let's give them a little privacy."

"No," Victor retorted. "Whatever you're gonna say, you can say in front of everybody."

"Well, alright," Gar replied, and shed his ring.

--

"The technique I am going to teach you is similar to what Kent showed you yesterday. It helps if you close your eyes."

Rachel complied, still feeling like a fool.

"You must tune out everything. Focus all your attention inwards."

_Well, good thing _that_ wasn't unhelpfully vague._

Nonetheless, Rachel complied as well as she could. Eventually, the only external stimulus she was receptive to was the cold of the stone she was seated on. Eventually, that faded as well.

Time lost meaning as Rachel sat. Although her eyes were firmly closed, she thought she saw flashes of light, like stars painted on the night of her eyelids. Although the only sound was the repetition of her mantra, she swore she could almost catch flashes of conversation, half heard from behind her.

Suddenly, she saw a flash of colour, and a screech of noise that sounded suspiciously like "_HIYA_!", and her eyes snapped open.

Before she could relate this strange occurrence, she was distracted by a sharp pain in her rear, as she returned to earth.

"A pity. You were doing well. You even achieved levitation."

"I…saw something" Rachel admitted.

"Oh? Well, it is not unknown for people to have flashes of precognition when in a trance-"

"In that case, my future is going to be full of pink. And loud noises."

A frown flashed across Inza's face, before it reformed in its usual impenetrable calm. "What manner of loud noises?"

"Squealing. Girlishly" Rachel admitted, her voice oozing distaste.

Oddly enough, that response seemed enough to disconcert Inza. "Indeed? …Then I believe we can finish there, for today. The rest of today is your own. Now, if you will excuse me, I must talk to my husband."

Rachel complied, wondering why the seemingly unflappable woman was concerned by the idea of pink. The vision probably meant nothing more than a visit from Kory.

--

Dick blinked. Then he blinked again. Gar stayed green. He looked at the rest of his friends. Neither Kory nor Wally seemed surprised. Therefore, the logical conclusion was that Dick was hallucinating.

"Well…that was unexpected."

Damn. So much for that theory. Vic was seeing this too.

Victor looked at Kory, who shrugged and removed her ring too.

"You too, huh?" said Victor in a wry kind of way, while Dick attempted to regain control of his paralyzed vocal chords. "Gotta say, it does answer a couple of questions about you." His gaze fell on Wally, who merely nodded. "And I guess Dick is as out of the loop as I am, since his jaw is on the floor."

Gar nodded, and continued. "So you see, there's always another option." With that, he pulled out a holo-ring that Waller had given to him a few moments before, and proffered it.

Victor shook his head. "I'm no hero. You can take your recruitment drive somewhere else."

"But-" Gar was halted by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at Kory, and she shook her head.

"We cannot say 'we will wait for you to be ready' to one person, and then say 'we believe you are ready _now_' to another. If Victor does not wish for the lifestyle you offer, you should not pressure him."

"Alright." He turned back to Victor. "Just remember, there's always a choice." With that, he turned to go, leaving the ring on the desk.

Victor watched them file out, saying nothing.

--

"Kent. I need to tell you something."

"Yes, Inza?" Dr. Fate replied, looking up from his desk.

"It's about Rachel. I think she has emotional personifications."

Dr. Fate froze. "That…makes sense, as much as anything makes sense about that girl. Nothing about her adds up. She has more raw power than I've seen in years, and no conscious control. Yet she can already use her power, in rudimentary ways, after only a couple of days study."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Dr. Fate sighed. "The worm knows something. But he's being reticent."

"May I try?"

"Certainly. He's in the library."

She stalked out, and a few minutes later returned, her face displaying a small smirk.

"He says to ask about the girl's parentage."

Fate looked up. "Dare I ask how you got him to talk?"

"The same way I got _you_ to propose, more or less."

Dr. Fate winced appreciatively, and Inza continued.

"He mentioned a name I didn't recognize. He said her powers were 'by the grace of Scath'."

Dr. Fate stood up so quickly an ornate inkwell was sent tumbling to the ground. Inza absent-mindedly flicked her wrist, and it was sent flying back to its resting place on the desk.

"What's wrong?"

Dr. Fate paused in the doorframe, and looked over his shoulder. "Scath is one of the names of the Eighth Greater Demon."

"…You mean-"

"Trigon."


	17. Phase Two

Chapter Seventeen: Phase Two

**Chapter Seventeen: Phase Two**

Dick followed the people he had once thought he knew out of the S.T.A.R Labs building, still trying to wrap his head around the thought that they were not who he had believed them to be.

"Hey, what you say we go back home? I think we need a little downtime." Gar suggested, and was met with muted approval. As they headed towards the bus stop, Dick kept walking, intending to head home, but Wally put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, where you going? You should come with us."

Dick shrugged, and acquiesced.

The bus ride, and the elevator ride that followed, were conducted in terse silence. After a few eternal minutes, the doors dinged open and the elevator disgorged its passengers. Dick tried, and failed, to not stare as Gar and Kory removed their holorings.

In spite of the awkwardness hanging in the air like your cousin telling age jokes in a nursing home, Gar tried his best to act as if being green was totally normal. Which it was. For him.

"Hey, Wally, you wanna make a pizza run?"

"Sure thing. The usual?" he replied, joining in the façade of normality.

"Yeah. You need cash?"

"Nah. You can pay me back later." With that elegant riposte, he left, escaping the forced ordinariness.

After a moment, Gar spoke up.

"Hey, Dick, you got a moment?"

"Yeah. What do you want?" he replied.

Gar sat down next to him on the sofa.

"Look, man. I'm real sorry we had to spring this one on ya like that. I'm sure you know why you couldn't just tell you about all this."

Dick nodded. "Yeah. The whole 'secret identities' thing. Who else knows?"

"The principal, Rachel, and Rachel's mom."

Dick frowned. "How come Rachel knows? And her _mom_?"

"Yeah…she's a special case." Gar suddenly turned serious. "And you can't tell _anyone_."

"Duh."

"I'm serious, man. I want you to promise me you'll keep this a secret."

"Yeah, of course I won't tell anyone."

Gar frowned. "Pinky promise."

"Wah?"

Gar glared at him. "Pinky promise, Dick. Or I'll get Waller to wipe your memory. She'll do it, too."

They stared each other for a few seconds, then Gar burst out laughing.

Dick scowled. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, man, I _totally_ had you going for a second there. Come on, let's play a video game."

Dick grinned. "Sounds good." They turned to the GameStation and fired up the console. For a few minutes, the only organically-generated sound was the off-key warbling of Starfire in the kitchen.

"Oh, and by the way," Gar said as Dick's virtual fighter was sent flying for the third time, "we're not dating."

Dick looked askance at Gar. "I…know we aren't."

"Not _us_. Me and Star."

"Oh. Oh! Cool. I, uh, mean, why are you telling me? S'not like I care or anything."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"That's good. Because I'd have to kill you." Gar looked serious again.

"What? That's not fair!"

Gar's face cracked. "You're so easy to mess with, you know?"

"Shut up."

--

Anthony Zucco was what one might euphemistically dub a "legitimate businessman". He had learned his trade on the knee of Carmine Falcone, and had quickly absorbed the most basic precept of the profession: carrying a big stick was thuggery. Hiring someone else to carry your big stick for you was good business. Or, at worst, politics. Hence the reason he was entertaining this young woman with all the petulance of a three year old and the social graces to match.

"And you are _certain_ you can keep them occupied for long enough?" Zucco asked, as he idly tossed a throwing knife from his left hand to his right, then twirled it in between his fingers before tossing it up into the air, where it span three times before he caught it with his left hand and began the pattern again.

"Relax, old man. We can take the tights brigade, as long as you're good for the money."

"I am sure that your fee will be adequate, and, of course, you are welcome to keep any proceeds from the actual distractions. Money is not the object in this particular exercise." He paused. "Well, actually, it _is_ the object. Just not the money from jewellery stores and bank vaults."

The woman looked up, and blinked, momentarily hiding those fascinating eyes of hers. "Oh? What _exactly_ is going on here, Mr. Zucco? Why are you hiring us to tear up the city? You got shares in security companies?"

He smirked. "Now, now. That would be telling, wouldn't it? You just do your job, and you'll get your money. No need to go around asking…dangerous questions."

She looked unimpressed, and waved an alabaster hand as she stood up. "Yeah, yeah, Secrets of Scary People, I get ya. I've seen Goodfellas. I'll let myself out."

--

**Okay, peeps, we've reached the end of Part I, as I have unofficially dubbed it. Part II should be less episodic, and a little more coherent, as far as the plot goes. Here's hoping.**

**I'm going to leave this story alone for a while, probably until the end of June. Partly because I have A Levels, and partly because I want to get the next bit **_**right**_**. So this'll have to tide you over for now.**


	18. New Kids on the Block

Chapter Eighteen: New Kids on the Block

**Chapter Eighteen: New Kids on the Block**

It was a fairly normal Saturday morning for James Morgan, a casher at the successful Webb and Michaels Jewellers'. At least, it had been. There had been the usual demographic of jewellery customers- this morning consisting mostly of excitable young women, their spouses and boyfriends wondering in growing dread why nothing had a price on it, and wondering how best to retreat when their suspicions were confirmed. If you had to ask in Webb and Michaels, you couldn't afford it.

The implication was misinterpreted by these three, though. They appeared to think that nothing had a price tag because nothing, in fact, had a price.

Sighing to himself, James nonchalantly pressed the silent alarm beneath the register, moments before the pink-haired one ordered him to put up his hands.

--

Jinx smirked as the teller thumbed the alarm, and, just for her own amusement, ordered him to put up his hands. She knew full well that she could expect the local Meta-vigilantes to roll in within the next minute, but she took her time, looking over the displays of necklaces with a hungry expression.

"I don't get why we're taking this sissy crap. I mean, why couldn't we take something worthwhile?" the hulking figure groused.

Jinx smiled sweetly at him. "Because I called the shots on this one, Mam. We can go rob a hamburger joint on the way back; will that make you happy?"

A different voice piped up. "I'm with Mam on this one. This is a waste of our fragging time. We don't even know any good fences in this slagging tourist trap."

"Who said we were going to sell any of it? I think those earrings would beautifully complement your yellow goggles and bald head."

Gizmo's only response was to glare at his leader, and order his mechanical arms to shovel things into his sack, leaving him free to lean back and fold his arms at Jinx in no uncertain manner.

"Look, Jinx, I don't see what your plan is. In about two minutes this whole place is going to be lousy with scum-sucking supercops, and you're taking your time to pick-and-mix? What's up with that?"

Gizmo's argument managed to convince Mammoth, who raised an eyebrow at his diminutive leader.

Jinx sighed in frustration, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I told you, we're being paid to-"

Jinx's words were cut short by a bleeping from a device on Gizmo's belt.

"Crap. Looks like the Tights have arrived," Gizmo said, "what's our plan?"

Jinx beamed. "We wipe the floor with them, of course."

--

Wally leant nonchalantly against the wall of a building opposite the Jewellers' in his civilian garb, waiting for his team mates to arrive. His brow creased as the criminals he was watching made no move to escape, and looked as if they had started to have a conversation.

Suddenly, a songbird landed at his feet, and chirped twice. Seemingly unconcerned, Wally sauntered around the corner into an alleyway, fiddling with the large ring that sat on his finger as he did so.

--

The small green bird sat on the pavement, staring intently at the jewellers' over the road. As the larcenous trio inside moved towards the door, its beak twitched oddly in an approximation of a smile. As the pale girl who seemed to be in charge of proceedings stepped out onto the street, Starfire dropped from the sky to rest in front of her, hands and eyes ablaze.

From there, things went decidedly less according to plan. Bubblegum-head raised an arm, and pink energy flashed, catching Starfire in the chest. The alien sailed backwards, into the suddenly waiting arms of a huge green ape, as a burst of yellow and red heralded the arrival of the Fastest Boy Alive.

The two teams squared off. Beast Boy broke the silence.

"Star, you think you can take Large, Hairy and Desperately in Need of a Shower?"

Starfire nodded, and turned her attention to Mammoth.

"KF, I'm going for Charlie Brown, you think you can take the girl?"

As Gizmo spluttered his indignation, Jinx smirked.

"'The girl'? That the best you got?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Gimmie a break, I haven't had a chance to get to know you yet."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" Jinx snapped her fingers, and the concrete beneath Beast Boy's feet melted and reset, leaving him trapped. Beast Boy responded by shifting momentarily into a fish, which flopped comically on the floor for a moment before reforming into his normal shape. With that, the battle moved from Stage One (Witty Repartee) and into Stage Two (Combat).

Starfire swooped towards Mammoth, who stood with wide arms and a wider grin. At the last moment, he neatly hopped to one side, and cuffed Starfire on the back of the head as she flew past, slamming her to the floor.

Beast Boy saw this from the corner of his eye, but before he could move to help, he found himself trapped by mechanical spider legs that slammed around hi like a cage. He looked up to see a grinning dwarf looming over him.

With a snarl, he shifted into a gorilla and snatched at the legs, snapping them with his extraordinarily strong arms. As the legs collapsed around him, he held out his palms, confidently expecting to catch an armful of vertically challenged criminal. When this failed to happen, he looked up in surprise.

Gizmo looked as if he had sprouted batlike wings. Closer inspection showed that they were part of a jetpack system. Gizmo smirked, and took off into the air. Beast Boy scowled. He was not good at aerial combat. Nonetheless, a green eagle followed Gizmo into the air.

Wally took all of this in, and determined that the best he could do was stay active, and help his friends. So instead of attempting to close with the pale girl, he dodged the blasts of power she was sending at him.

Starfire looked up groggily to see Mammoth grinning at her, and wasted no time in blasting him in the chest with her eyebolts. He jumped back in surprise, and Starfire rose from the tarmac, ready to do battle again.

Beast Boy flew at Gizmo in the form of a peregrine falcon, and prepared to shift into something more suited for combat. A chimpanzee should do the trick. Small, light, agile, and easily strong enough to rip off a man's arm with little effort. Just as he was about to shift, Gizmo span around in midair, and Beast Boy barely had time to register the taser he held before it was jabbed at him.

Starfire was feeling reasonably confident. Mammoth was considerably stronger than her, and tougher too, and was more agile than he looked, but he was still landbound, and there she had the advantage. Staying out of his way, she boxed him into a corner with starbolts. As Mammoth's back touched brick, a face that had been moments ago creased with worry broke into a confident smirk.

Mammoth pressed his hands up against the wall, and cocked his left leg against it too. As Starfire prepared to fire another volley, he pushed with all the strength he had with the leg on the floor as well as his arms and the leg on the wall. The effect sent him hurtling through the air, and he slammed into Starfire, knocking her back to earth.

Wally was fucked, and he knew it. As he saw Mammoth get off the prone form of Starfire, and Gizmo landed with the slightly smoking form of Beast Boy, he knew he was up a certain creek without a certain paddle. So, when Jinx launched another pink volley, he allowed it to catch him in the chest.

He was sent flying backwards, and he landed on his back, feigning unconsciousness. After a few moments that dragged by for reasons totally unconnected to his powers, he heard the villainous trio leave. Sighing, he lay back, wallowing in the gutter. It seemed only appropriate at that point.

--

John Grayson was waiting outside his bosses' door with a witness testament that didn't add up when he heard voices from inside.

"So, you heard? A bunch of people is goin' around, eh, vadalisin' established businesses such as this one. We heard you was the unprovokin' victim of some of this the other day, Am I right? A broken window or two?"

John couldn't hear what his boss said in reply. Not that he was listening, of course.

"Well, buddy, just leave it to us. A little donation in the right place, and we'll make sure those boys don't bother you no more."

A defiant mumble from his superior.

"Oh? Well, if youse should happen to change your mind, I'll be around tomorrow. I'll see myself out."

The door swung open, and John was faced with a small, wiry man, with a small, wiry moustache.

"Excuse me," John said, and stepped with exaggerated care around the small man. Being over six feet tall and in remarkable shape for an attorney came in handy some times.

"Oh, hello, John." His employer looked dispirited.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was that just now?"

"Oh, just some thug asking for protection money."

John shook his head. "A bad business, that. If you want my advice, sir, you'll stand firm on this one. I know that sort. Give an inch and they'll take a mile."

His boss sighed. "You may be right. I shall have to set an example. Corruption has no place in the process of Law."

**--**

**Two words: Pulling. Teeth.**


	19. Misplaced Confidence

**Chapter Nineteen: Misplaced Confidence.**

Dr. Fate found Angela on the roof garden, staring out at the woods that surrounded his tower and lake.

"Where are we?" Angela asked, breaking the silence.

"A few miles west of Salem, Massachusetts," Fate replied dryly.

Angela turned and stared at him.

"What?"

"Well...that's a little..."

"Ordinary?" Dr. Fate asked with a hint of amusement.

"Well...yes. I was expecting an answer like 'another dimension', or 'the edge of reality', or something."

"That would be incredibly inconvenient. But anyway, I have to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Would you mind stepping into my office?"

--

It was a weary and dispirited group that made their way back to the penthouse that served as their base of operations. As the elevator disgorged its passengers, Kid Flash made his way over to the sofa, where he flopped backwards and stared at the ceiling. Starfire floated slowly over towards him, and Beast Boy simply stood in the living room area. Eventually, he broke the silence.

"So, we got our butts kicked. It happens sometimes."

Wally murmured an agreement.

"We lost because we underestimated them. So we find out about them, and win next time." With that, Gar strode over to the computer system and booted it up, Starfire floating over his shoulder to have a better look.

Wally just lay on his back, watching the patterns on the ceiling swirl. His stomach gave an angry growl, and he scowled to himself. He'd always eaten a lot, but this was getting ridiculous.

Standing up, he arched his back.

"I'm going out. Call me if you need anything."

"'Kay." Beast Boy didn't turn around.

Wally made his way to the elevator, and selected the ground floor. As he watched the numbers laconically flick down, he tapped his foot impatiently. Finally, he heard the ding that signified his arrival on _terra firma_.

Not bothering to change into his uniform, he looked down the road, almost deserted in the late evening gloom, and ran, not too bothered as to his direction.

Maybe he would pick up a Subway while he was out.

--

"Mrs. Roth, who was Rachel's father?" Dr. Fate stared at Angela over steepled fingers.

Angela shifted in her chair. "My husband was-" Fate interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

"I did not ask about your husband, Mrs. Roth, I asked about Rachel's father."

Angela studiously avoided Fate's unseen eyes. "Is this important?"

"More than you could possibly imagine, if my suspicion is correct." Dr. Fate's tone was laced with granite.

Angela sighed, and began to speak. "I was eighteen years old. I was young, giddy and engaged. Everything seemed to be going alright for me. Then...

"One evening I was making my way home. I lived in Gotham at the time, and I know I should have been more alert, but... there you go. I was nearly home when I felt someone grab me from behind." Angela's voice wavered, but she continued. "I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong, and-" she took a deep breath, fighting against a tide of resurgent memories.

Dr. Fate raised a hand. "There is no need to continue. I think I understand what happened." Angela lapsed into silence. "However, I must ask if you noticed anything unusual about the man."

Angela nodded. "His eyes."

Dr. Fate opened a book, showing a picture of four almond-shaped red eyes, arranged in a square. "Were they like this?"

Angela nodded. "Exactly."

Dr. Fate snapped the book shut, and leaned over the desk. "Mrs. Roth, how old is Rachel?"

Angela frowned at the strange turn the conversation had taken. "She was sixteen in March, why?"

Dr. Fate laughed. It wasn't a laugh of triumph, or amusement, but more the laugh when pent up tension suddenly snaps into relief.

"What's so funny?" Angela demanded.

Dr. Fate immediately sobered. "Mrs. Roth, Rachel's father was a devotee of a demon known as Trigon. The four eyes are a sign of possession by Him. At the age of sixteen Earth years, all offspring of Trigon become portals into their home dimension. Through this portal Trigon comes, bringing with him death, destruction and all the rest.

"However, Rachel came into her heritage, as it were, after her sixteenth birthday. Trigon cannot touch her."

Angela sat, stunned. "I'm sorry? My daughter is a _demon_?"

"_Half_ demon, Mrs. Roth."

After a few minutes of silence, Angela looked up at Dr. Fate. "What are we going to tell her?"

Instead of speaking, Dr. Fate did something Angela would never have expected. He removed his helmet. The face beneath it was nothing Angela had expected. He had short, light brown hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee. His physical features would have put him at about twenty-five.

"How old are you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Eighty-four." At Angela's sceptical look, he elaborated. "The magic halts the aging process."

"I bet you were pleased when you found that out."

"Not as pleased as I was when I found that it applied to my wife as well." Dr. Fate replied with a small smile. "But, as for your daughter, I do not know. If we tell her, it may well harm her self-image, just when she appears to have reconciled to her powers. But if we do not tell her, and she finds out on her own..."

Angela nodded. "It seems we have to take the best of two bad choices."

"If you want my advice, I wouldn't tell her right now. If it ever becomes an issue, then she should know, but at the moment I suggest we let it lie."

--

After several hours on the computer, Gar had finally found something.

"The HIVE Gang," he read to himself, "If it Ain't Broke, We'll Break It."

It turned out that the trio were freelance criminals for hire, hailing initially from Metropolis. They'd left there some years ago, and no one could find them. Apart from via their website, which was what Gar had found.

"Need to tip the odds? The Team leader Jinx is always ready to put a thumb on the scales. Whether you have a pressing need to win at poker, or some enemies that need to know the meaning of Bad Luck, Jinx is the girl for you.

"Eight feet tall, and four feet wide, Mammoth is the epitome of physical power. Need someone to do some heavy lifting? Demolish a house? Win the annual 'Who's Got The Most Intimidating Bodyguard' Contest? Or simply pound someone into the tarmac? Just call on Mammoth.

"And finally, the technical wizard, Gizmo. If it's got wires, Gizmo can make it work. He can also take it apart, rewire it, redesign it, make it run three hundred times better, and turn it into a doomsday device. He can also program VCRs."

Gar motioned for Starfire to come over, and showed her the page.

"We'll need to look at this. We lost because we didn't know them, and I don't intend for that to happen again."

**--**

**The "Angela's Story" section was underwritten, I know, but I felt incredibly uncomfortable, as it was **_**way**_** outside my frame of experience. So, yeah, you all know the basic story, right?**


	20. It Tolls For Thee

Chapter Twenty: It Tolls For Thee

**Chapter Twenty: It Tolls For Thee.**

**Hooray for Murder!!**

**--**

Jack Parker tried to stop quivering as he made his report to the boss. It would have been easier if the man had put down that damn throwing knife.

"Well, ya see, I delivered the message, but they guy didn't seem to take it, if you take my meaning. I came back three days in a row, and they still wouldn't get with the program. I don't think they was taking us seriously, boss."

Zucco raised an eyebrow, and leaned forwards, the knife never stilling in his hands. "My, my. Then we must provide evidence of our earnestness."

Parker looked up. "What sort of evidence, if you don't mind me asking, boss?"

Zucco waved a hand. "Oh, I think you know what I mean."

Parker grinned. "You want me to, eh, _talk_ to their boss, boss?"

"Oh no. After all, who would be left to pay us? Just a drone will do."

Parker nodded, slowly, as an image came to mind. Every time he'd gone to the firm, there had been a big guy there. Parker hadn't appreciated the way the guy had looked at him.

"I know just the guy, boss."

--

Gar sat in the kitchen, fidgeting as Starfire tended to a long gash across his forehead. Normally, physical injuries were not a problem for him, as he could just shift into an uninjured shape, but Starfire had expressed the worry that it might get infected, and Gar didn't have the strength to argue.

He gasped as she dabbed antiseptic to the wound, and involuntarily moved.

"The more you fidget, the longer this shall take. I shall not be much longer, if you will only hold still," she chided.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

After a moment, Starfire spoke again. "I am concerned for Wallace. Do you think he is alright?"

Beast Boy sighed. As had become routine, as soon as they got back to the penthouse, Wally had gone running.

"I don't know, Star. He's probably just frustrated or something. I mean, this like, what, the third time this week?"

Starfire nodded. "I believe you are correct. I must admit I am feeling somewhat dispirited by our lack of success recently."

Gar nodded, and Starfire cuffed him lightly.

"Hold still."

"Sorry. But we'll beat them. We have to."

"I agree. I am finished now."

"Cool," Gar replied, and the cut vanished in seconds. "But how are you? I mean, Gizmo shot you with a _rocket_. That's gotta smart."

Starfire nodded. "I admit, it is not an experience I wish to repeat, but I am undamaged."

"Good." He walked into the living room, and slumped on the sofa. Checking his watch, he spoke up. "Hey, your show about parasites should be on soon."

"Oh, yes! Thank you for reminding me." That seemed to be all that was required to bring her out of melancholy.

Even so, Beast Boy wasn't sure reminding her had been a good idea, and decided to go shopping when she settled in to watch, popcorn in hand.

No matter that he could turn into any animal on this earth or any other, tapeworms were still _way _beyond gross.

--

John nodded a goodnight to the secretary as he left the offices. Lost in thought, he failed to notice the large man enjoying a cigarette opposite his office, nor would he have attached much significance to it if he had.

He might have been more alert if he had seen the man stub out his cigarette and follow him.

John huffed in the cold air, and idly noted how dark it had gotten recently. Winter was drawing in. His introspection was shattered when a small figure rushed out of the gloom and knocked into him, making him take a step back to steady himself.

John looked down, and couldn't retain a short gasp of recognition as he noted the dour, pinched features and shabby moustache. The man looked up brightly at him, and smiled.

"Hiya, pal," he said, just as someone hit John in the back of the head.

--

Dick was sitting at home, watching television when the phone rang.

"Dick, could you get that?" his mother called from the kitchen.

"'Kay." Dick rolled off the sofa and plodded over to the source of the shrill noise. "Hold on, hold on, I'm coming," he mumbled to the device, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Dick? Is that you?"_

Dick scowled. "Dad? Is something wrong?"

--

John internally groaned as he lay face first on the asphalt, and grunted when he felt a sharp pain in his ribs, courtesy of Weasel Man's boot.

Thinking quickly, he rolled to one side and sprang to his feet, putting as much space between him and his attackers as he could. He didn't see Weasel draw a silenced pistol from within his jacket, but he did feel it when the bullet hit his calf.

With a cry, he tumbled to the ground, but kept going, forcing himself to get up and hobble into an alleyway, where he collapsed against a wall. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, and hit the speed dial.

"_Hello?"_

"Dick? Is that you?"

"_Dad? Is something wrong?"_

"There's no time. Dick, I want you to do something for me."

"_What?"_

John could hear deliberate footsteps getting closer.

"Dick, I want you to look after your mother."

"_...Wah?"_

"Can you do that, son? Can you make sure she's safe?"

"_Dad, what's going on?"_

The footsteps were almost on him now.

"Promise me, Dick!" John shouted, "Promise me you'll look after her."

"_Alright, I promise, now what's going on?"_

John looked up to see Weasel standing above him, smirking.

"Sayin' your goodbyes?" When John didn't reply, Weasel crouched next to him, levelling the gun at his head. "Now, right about now, I bet you're thinkin' 'Boy I wish I hadn't messed with Boss Zucco like that', ain't ya?"

John's only reply was to spit at the man.

_Dad? What's going on?" _Dick's voice was growing frantic, as he heard the newcomer.

Weasel looked down at the blob of spit on his lapel, and scowled. The silencer spat, once.

"_Dad? Dad?!"_

**--**

**The initial plan for this chapter was for me to actually show the fight with the HIVE, but you can only write Titans getting slapped around in so many ways before it gets boring. So you got gratuitous murder instead. Aren't you glad?**


	21. Resurgence

Chapter Twenty-One: Resurgence

**Chapter Twenty-One: Resurgence.**

It had been two weeks.

Dick sat in his room, the curtains drawn, a chink of winter sunlight seeping through a gap.

Two weeks. Fourteen of the quietest days he had ever known.

When the police had arrived, he had numbly complied with everything they had asked of him, explaining his story to all and sundry until his throat bled, writing out a transcript of the conversation as best he could, sitting in the police station for hours on end, all without complaint.

Since then, he had thrown himself into his new role. He didn't sleep at nights, only napping during the day. He'd practiced his _taolu _again for the first time since he'd given up the art, a couple of years ago, and was almost disgusted with how out of shape he had gotten. He had been forced to drop his study of martial arts as had interfered with his schooling.

No chance of that now. School had started again. He hadn't gone. No one questioned him.

Every evening, after his mother had gone to bed, he would stay up. Initially, he'd relied on caffeine to keep him up, but after five or so days, he'd adjusted. It hadn't been pleasant, but he had barely noticed, and wouldn't have cared if he had.

He had a job to do, and by God he was going to do it.

But it was the middle of the day, now, and so by all rights he should have been sleeping, preparing for his nightly vigil. Instead, he was sitting on his bed, thinking.

_Zucco_.

He'd asked about the man at the police station, and received one officer's off-the-record and off-duty opinion that the man was head of a crime ring in the city, and the sole survivor of the small war Gar and his team had waged on the organised crime in the city. Of course, that was just one man's opinion.

_You think the police can take him?_

Not a chance. He was too well-connected.

_Then who?_

Gar, Kory and Wally can take him down. It's their job, after all.

_So, what? You're just going to hide behind your friends?_

But what could he do? He was just a guy.

_A guy with six years of Tai Shing Pek Kwar experience, and acrobatics training from an Olympic-level gymnast. You're bright. What's stopping you?_

Dick got off the bed, and started idly rifling through his wardrobe for some black clothes.

--

Starfire glared at the smirking Jinx as the HIVE reformed around the pink haired girl. Her hands bunched reflexively into fists, and spheres of green energy formed around them. Behind her, Wally sat up, shaking his head to stop the ringing, and stood. Gar was more uncertain, his legs deciding halfway up that he would be better off just lying down, and his knees sagged. Nonetheless, he stood on the second try, and blearily glared at the criminals.

"Y'know, I don't get you," Jinx said, conversationally. "I mean, we've fought how many times? Must be in to the double figures by now. And in all that time, the best result you've got is when we've left without stealing anything. Not exactly stellar.

"But you're still here. I mean, I think we all know how this is going to go down. We'll fight, you'll try some new idea, which will sort of work, at least until we pound you into the dirt, and then we'll leave." Jinx frowned, honest confusion breaking across her alabaster features. "And you still show up every time we cause trouble. I mean, what is it? Are you just slow learners?"

Wally spoke first. "It's the job. Bad guy shows up, we fight them. And you're the bad guys in this scenario."

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "So, what, you're a bunch of glorified cops?"

Wally shook his head. "Cops are paid, for a start. No, it's about responsibility. We've all got abilities that make us stronger, faster, in some cases smarter, and generally _better_ than any normal human. What we do is about reminding people that that doesn't make us more _important_. So we try and stop people like you, who think that just because they can bench press a bus, or shoot lasers from their hands, or even make a robot out of a toaster, that gives them a licence to do whatever they want, and ignore the consequences."

Jinx scowled, and only Kid Flash was fast enough to see the offended look that rolled across her face like a cloud. It was utterly wiped by the catlike smirk plastered over her face, and she raised her hand, her fingers ready to click.

"Whatever. You know, you're cute when you get all preachy, you know that?"

Kid Flash was about to unleash a witty response to this insult when he realised it wasn't technically _insulting_, and this alone flustered him enough that he was completely distracted until a pulse of energy hit him in the stomach.

He doubled over, and his team mates sprang forwards to meet the surging HIVE. As everything went dark, Wally heard what had to be the strangest battle cry ever.

"Azerath, Metrion, _Zinthos_!"

**--**

**Yeah, it's short, but I wanted to end it there. Next chapter will be up in 2/3 days.**


	22. Rout

Chapter Twenty-Two: Rout

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Rout.**

"Truthfully, there is little more that I can teach you; of course, there is much for you to learn, but life is by far the better teacher than I." Dr. Fate stood, and crossed over to a cabinet by the wall of his study, turning his back to the girl in the chair in front of his desk. "Of course, you and your mother are welcome to stay as long as you wish, but if you would take my advice, you will return to California sooner rather than later. Your friends, I think, would appreciate your assistance." Say what you would about Kent Nelson, Dr. Fate was a master of getting people to go his way.

Rachel blinked. "Are they in trouble?"

"Oh, nothing life threatening, but they appear to be having difficulties with a gang. Your presence would likely tip the scales in their favour."

Rachel was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

"Capital." Dr. Fate opened the cabinet he had been standing in front of, and withdrew an indistinct deep blue bundle. "As something of a going-away present, Inza made this for you." He handed the bundle to Rachel, who unwrapped it to reveal a cloak and black leotard, as well as a belt adorned with obsidian semi-spheres. Closer inspection revealed a clasp for the cloak, this of transparent black glass, with a figure of a black bird suspended inside it, and two more spheres on the hands of the leotard, these smaller than the clasp or the belt.

"The semi-spheres are designed to assist in the flow and control of your power. I made them myself," he added, with the barest hint of pride in his voice.

Raven smiled slightly as she swooshed the cloak around herself. "Thanks."

--

Rachel steeled her nerves, and stepped through the ankh. It had been decided that her mother would go straight home, while Rachel would be sent straight to her friends. After a few moments of golden brilliance, which Rachel privately thought was a ridiculous way to travel, as well as more than a little ostentatious, she found herself stepping into an alley in downtown Jump. A flash of pink light in the street, and her attention was drawn to Kid Flash, hands at his stomach, kneeling in the street, with a smirking pale girl advancing on him, two other figures closing in on Gar and Kory, both of whom looked like they had taken a turn in a cement mixer.

_Okay. So they do need help. _She internally gulped. _I guess I should do something. Like, now, maybe. Right?_

Swallowing her jitters, she decided a distraction was in order. Summoning her power, she focused her power.

Instantly the sun was obscured by the astral projection of a huge bird. As the combatants gaped, Rachel opened a dimensional gate, and stepped through to appear behind the pink haired girl that had been threatening Kid Flash moments previously. Before anyone noted her presence, she flicked out a hand, and the girl was knocked to the ground by a wash of black light.

Kid Flash was the first to get his head around the situation, and wasted no time in engaging Gizmo, who had recovered enough to draw a bead on the blue-clad girl. The diminutive savant found his weapon gone from his hands in a flash of orange, to be replaced moments later with a large haddock. Blinking in dumb incomprehension at the fish in his hands, he failed to notice a certain speedster relieving him of his backpack.

Jinx scrabbled to rise, glaring at the newcomer, who blankly stared back. The thief's attention flicked to her teammates. Gizmo was screaming blue murder at something she couldn't see, and Mammoth was on the back foot from a concentrated attack from Starfire and Beast Boy.

"Giz," she yelled as she got to her feet, "get us the hell outta here!"

"Just a sec!" the dwarf yelled back, and slapped his goggles over his eyes. "Sayonara, losers!" With that elegant parting quip, he threw a capsule to the floor, engulfing the combatants in thick black smoke. When it cleared, the HIVE were nowhere to be seen.

--

"Well, _that_ sure coulda gone better," Mammoth mumbled into his goatee as the larcenous trio staggered into the small apartment that served as their Jump City outpost.

"Oh, shut up," Jinx groused. "We got away, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but we didn't get away with anything we didn't bring, 'cept a few bruises," Mammoth retorted, "and now Mik's gotta replace his pack. That stuff you can't steal."

Jinx flopped onto the sofa, dispirited, but happened to glance at the calendar. Her features broke into a contented smirk.

"Don't you worry about that, Bar." The giant turned to meet her gaze. "It's payday."

--

Parker didn't bother to suppress a grin as Jinx stalked into the abandoned warehouse that had been the agreed meeting place. At her questioning eyebrow, he gesticulated towards an attaché case on a desk in front of him.

Her suspicious eyes still on him, she cautiously flicked open the case, and started rifling through the bills within. A flash of white caught her eye among the green, and she looked down and pulled out a piece of paper, on which two words had been written.

They said "Look Up."

She followed the instructions, and gasped as she found herself eyeballing a long, black tunnel. Parker's grin turned sharklike, and, as Jinx's left hand curled around a snap she knew would be far, far too late, he squeezed the trigger.

The hammer smashed down. The chamber flared. The silencer spat. The bullet span lazily in the air towards Jinx's pale forehead.

Wally West _moved_.

**--**

**Well, that should be the last of the generic fight scenes, at least for a little while. You have no idea how painful the first half of the chapter was to write, especially as I had to fight the urge to fill it with innuendo. And Parker is back! Don't you just love him? I know I do.**


	23. Simplicity

Chapter Twenty-Three: Simplicity

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Simplicity.**

As Wally sprang from his hiding place among the crates stacked by the wall, he idly wondered how fast he must be going.

A glint of light was the bullet. It didn't look like it was moving.

Well, that's interesting. He'd never gone this fast from a standing start before. Neat.

Halfway across the floor, he suddenly wondered what the _hell_ he was doing.

_What do you mean, 'what am I doing?' He's going to _shoot_ her!_

So? She's a danger to the public. She has no regard for anyone's safety.

_No one's been killed by the HIVE yet._

Through luck more than judgement. It's only a matter of time before a bystander gets hit by a stray blast. And it'll be _your_ fault when it happens.

_You don't know that._

It's more than likely, though. So, is her life worth more than a civilian's?

_You can't think like that. You can't evaluate people's worth relative to someone else's. If someone's in danger, I'm going to save them. It doesn't matter who they are, or what they've done, or what you _think_ they're going to do, I'm going to help them._

Even if they were a murderer?

_Yes. Even if they were a 'danger to society'. Just because I can run at- sorry, considerably faster than- the speed of sound doesn't mean I can be judge, jury and executioner._

Because people would be scared of you?

_Because if I tried that, the whole system would break down, and superheroes would become just another gang._

Seeing there was no response from the niggling little voice that made up the other half of his internal dialogue, Wally reflected a bit as he made his way across the floor.

Gar thought the same way he did, Wally knew. Well, 'thought' might be too strong a term. It was kind of hard-wired into his brain, and Wally had to wonder where he'd picked up his moral code. Certainly not the Doom Patrol, who Wally had had the dubious honour of meeting once. As for Kory, well, she'd never thought about it, and Wally worried what would happen if she ever did. Apparently the Tameraneans were a warlike people. Damnit, they didn't even have a word for 'nice'. Maybe they would approve of a more...final... style of crimefighting.

Introspection over, Wally felt the vestiges of panic as the world around him began to speed up. Frantically, he altered his trajectory, leaping onto the table that stood between the two and snatching the bullet from the air as it corkscrewed towards Jinx.

--

Principal Wilson sighed, and leant back in his leather chair.

"So, there's another one of you. And what do you call yourself, Miss Roth?" he inquired tiredly.

"Well, since I was going for a kind of dark motif, then, maybe..."

"Yes?"

"Raven," she finished, with perhaps a slight flush of embarrassment.

"Raven," he repeated dryly. "Very well. I shall have to tell the faculty that we have another 'special case'." He stood, and walked over to the filing cabinet behind him, where he rummaged around, looking for forms. "They are most curious as to where you spend all of your time, Logan, although they seem most reluctant to ask me outright. I cannot imagine why."

As Raven stood in front of the desk, she felt Gar poke her in the side lightly. As she turned to him, he pointed to a cabinet by the wall with a smirk. Rachel followed his gaze, and what she saw made her unsure whether to gape or laugh or run as far as she could from the man with an eyepatch.

There, behind the glass of the cabinet, rested an immaculately polished, meticulously sharpened, but heavily notched old katana.

--

Jinx gaped as a blur suddenly passed between her and he would-be murderer, and both he and she turned their heads to see what exactly had passed between them.

Jinx blinked as her gaze fell upon a teenager wearing baggy jeans, a football shirt and a shapeless hat standing nonchalantly with his back to them. Seemingly noticing them, he turned, flashed a broad grin, and opened his left palm. It held a bullet, which he dropped to the floor.

Jinx recovered quicker than Parker, and as the man aimed his gun at her again, she snapped her fingers. As the man tugged desperately at a suddenly jammed gun, Jinx wasted no time in slamming a hex into his chest smashing him into a pile of boxes against the wall.

"Is he out?" the boy asked mildly.

Jinx paced over to the comatose hitman. "Yup."

"Good." As soon as he said this, his face contorted in a grimace of pain, and he doubled over around his right hand. Concerned, although she would say otherwise, Jinx walked over to him.

"Are you alright?"

"Friction burn," he muttered, and she looked down at his right hand, where a long red welt was evident. "Got any ice?"

"Does it _look_ like I've got ice?"

"Doesn't hurt to ask. Anyway, why'd he try to shoot you?"

Jinx scowled. "I don't know. I mean, we did what they paid us to do."

Kid Flash raised an eyebrow. "Which was?"

Jinx had a momentary crisis of conscience. Professional loyalty to an employer that had just tried to kill her versus a perfect opportunity to get back at the backstabbing weasel.

"We were hired to keep you busy, put you off your game. We weren't told this, Gizmo had to do a little snooping, but they're trying to tie up you and the police to cover for something coming into the docks on Saturday."

Professionalism clearly what it used to be.

"Uh, thanks." Kid Flash blinked. "Any word as to what's coming in?"

Jinx shook her head. "Not a thing. Sorry, you're on your own there." She walked over to the table, and picked up the attaché case. When Kid Flash made no move to stop her, she raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, the way I see it, I'm not on duty right now." He gesticulated to his apparel. "And besides, you haven't done anything illegal. I'll just take this guy" he prodded Parker with his boot "and let you off with a warning this time."

Jinx nodded, and made her way to the exit. Wally shook his head in slight disbelief as he hefted the crook onto his shoulder and disappeared in a blur.


	24. Justice at the End of a Curtain Rod

Chapter Twenty-Four: Justice at the End of a Curtain Rod

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Justice at the End of a Curtain Rod.**

Sitting in his small room, Victor wondered how long it had been since he'd become...this.

_**48:13:15:02:50.**_

Only that long? Wow. He thought it had been longer.

It had been a lonely existence. Since he'd snubbed his friends, and just as they were proving a lot more interesting than he'd thought, the only visitors he'd had had been scientists.

He hadn't seen his father, or Waller, in a long time. Thank God for the small mercies, he supposed.

His day was composed almost entirely of trying to get used to his new body while simultaneously dodging his reflection in the mirror as much as possible, and not just because his thermal vision (which he had turned on quite by accident one day) told him that there were people behind it, meaning that it doubled as a viewing screen. He felt like some exhibit in a museum. Or a zoo.

The monotony was getting to him, though. With nothing to break up his meagre schedule, he'd even forgotten which day of the week it was.

_**Saturday.**_

Ah. Of course.

--

The three men stood nervously, waiting for their comrade to arrive. It was dark, due to a broken streetlight, which was useful for hiding their illicit activities. Didn't make them any less jumpy, though.

One of them grinned, as he saw the fourth member of their troupe exit from a door in the warehouse they were outside, carrying a large case. As he made his way towards them, he passed a side alley and as he did so there was a sudden crack and he fell to the ground.

Within seconds, every man had drawn his firearm. The closest, a man with an SMG, edged towards his fallen comrade, and flicked on the torch that was attached to the barrel. What he saw made him pause. There was a black shape in the alleyway, crouched down on its knuckles, with a long pole resting nonchalantly over one shoulder. He registered this in a second, and was bout to fire when the hunched figure swung its stick like a baseball bat at the side of his head. It smashed him in the temple and his head connected with the wall, taking him out of the fight.

Wasting no time, the figure knuckled out of the alleyway and straight for the remaining man. As the figure raised his handgun, the figure planted his stick on the ground and vaulted forwards, slamming into the gunman and knocking him to the ground. As the criminal struggled to get up, he felt himself hauled up by his lapels and straight into a waiting elbow.

The black clad figure looked around and nodded to himself, satisfied. As he was about to retrieve his stick, he heard a ratcheting sound and froze dead.

"Alright, let's have a look at you. Turn around," a voice ordered.

The vigilante complied, and his captor started.

"Heh, you're just a kid. What, is it something in the air, where kids think they can just take the law into their own hands around here? Anyway, put your hands where I can see 'em."

Slowly, deliberately, the teenager put his hands up. Although he tried not to show it, he was shaking behind his home made mask. So far, his debut was not entirely successful.

"Alright then, kid, we'll see just what the boss...has...oh shit." The criminal's attention was no longer on the dark figure, but on something above and slightly to the left of him. His attention thus diverted, his captive took a chance and, as the gunman swung his handgun at whatever was grabbing his attention, the teenager swung his hand at him, open-palmed, with his fingers clawed, knocking the gun from his hand, and jabbing the man in the gut with his other hand, a knee to his face as he doubled over finishing the fight.

Only when he was sure the man was subdued did he turn to see what had caused the timely distraction. His eyes fell upon a slack-jawed orange girl hovering in midair.

"Thanks," he grunted, and moved to leave. Starfire had other ideas.

"Wait, I-" Starfire grabbed a black-clad wrist, forcing the boy to turn around, and gasped when she saw his face. "-Richard?"

--

"Wallace, are you well? You seem... most distracted."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, Star. I just got a bad feeling." Wally paused for a moment, and then continued. "What you say we swing by the docks later on?"

Starfire frowned. "That is the third time you have mentioned such a course of action. What is there at the docks that you wish to investigate?"

"Third time? Wow, huh, I, uh, had no idea."

Starfire stared down at her speeding comrade as he jogged backwards at a leisurely fifty miles per hour, scratching at the back of his head as he scratched out a weak excuse.

Starfire was not stupid. She was kind and caring and tried to see the best in everyone, which some people would have equated with a kind of idiot geniality, but she wasn't stupid. She was ignorant of the ways of the planet, it was true, but that was hardly her fault. The understandable ignorance of human culture had caused people to equate her with a human child, which naturally lead people to attribute her with innocence and naïveté, characteristics she was surprisingly lacking. In her experience, people were people everywhere. Even when they were Tameranean.

She was about to call him out on his pathetically weak attempt at deception when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, some kind of struggle in an alleyway. Wally's interrogation would have to be postponed.

--

Wally breathed a sigh of relief when Starfire swerved into an alleyway, and motioned him to follow.

"_I got a bad feeling"? Jesus Christ, Wally, a brain that works at the speed of light, and _that_ was the best you could come up with?_

Wally scowled, silently agreeing with his inner berater while simultaneously wondering why it sounded exactly like Uncle Barry.

Twenty seconds later, and Wally was blinking madly at seeing the one "normal" guy out of his friends in a home made costume, being chided by Starfire for doing something so reckless. Wally stared around at the four comatose- and heavily armed- criminals, and then turned his attention to Dick. Wally blinked, again.

The guy had taken down four semi- and automatic armed guys with a black jumper and a curtain rod. _Badass_.

As he walked over to the two, his foot scuffed against a case. Opening it, he drew out a plastic bag filled with white powder.

"Err...guys? You'd better come look at this."

--

Gar stared in dumb incomprehension when Wally repeated his story.

"Dude, you wanna repeat that? Like a billion times slower?"

Wally nodded, and tried again.

"Well, me an' Star were on patrol, and we passed by this alleyway, and Star saw some fighting so we went to check it out, and when we got there we saw a bunch of unconscious guys on the ground and one of them had pointed a gun at Dick but Dick totally kicked the guy's ass and one of the guys had this bag right here and its filled with drugs but the whole thing's a little fishy, I mean why would a cache of drugs need an armed escort, so I think there's more to this than meets the eye, as it were."

Gar just stared some more, wondering how in hell Wally had managed that on one lungful of air. Beside him, Rachel raised a hand.

"I...think I got that." She looked behind Wally to see a floating Starfire and a glowering Dick, in a black ensemble with a home-made domino mask. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Dick didn't respond.

Gar looked at the contents of the bag that Wally had produced. Small vials of clear liquid, small white pills, and white powder in plastic bags.

"So, what, you think we should go get this stuff checked out?"

Wally nodded.

Gar sighed, and stood up. "Alrighty then, let's go visit Waller." As the superheroes turned to leave, Gar grabbed Dick by the bicep. "Come on, dude, don't you want to see this through?"

When Dick silently acquiesced, Gar breathed a mental sigh of relief. _We need to keep an eye on you_, the "leader voice", the voice he hated so, and not just because it spoke like his foster-father, whispered, _Just so you don't go off and get yourself or anyone else killed._


	25. Weight of the World

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Weight of the World.**

The ATLAS armour sat idle in the lab, ignored by everyone. It had been there for so long it barely registered above the motivational posters on the wall with anyone any more.

The ATLAS armour had, as its name implied, started life as one of the suits designed by the infamous Tony Stark, designed for physical strength. However, the armour had been deemed too unwieldy by the eccentric billionaire, and he had decided against putting it to use, preferring instead his more mobile suits. As such, he was in no great hurry to get it back, and had been happy to lend it to S.T.A.R Labs. They had essentially reverse-engineered the technology of the suit and used it to design the artificial limbs of Victor Stone.

That was why it remained in the inner lab, and that was why it had been deemed perfect for the nefarious purpose that would unfold that night.

Since the ATLAS armour was now simply part of the background clutter of the lab, no one noticed a man in a lab coat, whose name tag proclaimed him "Timothy Fisk", sidle to the back of the suit and insert a device into the back of its neck, before nonchalantly walking away.

--

Victor was staring at the pack of cards when he heard it.

He didn't know why he was wasting his time staring at the cards, since he couldn't remember how to play solitaire, and he'd never like the game when he _could_ play it, apart from the fact that his time wasn't worth much these days. But anyway, that was what he was doing when he heard the screams.

Instantly alert, he activated his infra-red vision and looked at where the sounds were emanating from. A group of red figures were running full pelt from a patch of moving cold- a machine of some kind. One of the red figures, significantly larger than the others, was falling behind, and the machine was almost upon them.

He didn't know what he was doing. Before he had time to think he was crashing through the two-way mirror that comprised one wall of his cell and snatching the figure from out of the path of the machine. Once he was of immediate danger, he looked down at the figure he had saved. Waller.

Not wasting another second on the hated woman, he span to face the thing he had interrupted. A wall of red and gold stood before him.

_I could really use some kind of weapon right now._

**Activating weapon selection...**

**...Sonic Cannon R (Charge: Full)**

**...Sonic Cannon L (Charge: Full)**

**...Shoulder Missiles (16)**

_Neat._

**...Shoe Rocket R (1)**

**...Shoe Rocket L (1)**

_...What?_

"Okay...activate Sonic Cannon," he said, in what he hoped was a clear, purposeful voice. Instantly, his right forearm went numb, and he looked down to see the change that had taken place. White metal plates had slid back, and his hand had collapsed completely, in its place a wide barrel mouth.

"Huh. Okay, so...how do I fire?" Experimentally, he tried clenching his right fist, and was rewarded with a pulse of energy directed towards his opponent. "Oh. Like that."

He wasn't given the time to bask in this voyage of self discovery, because the volley he had fired had struck the chest of the ATLAS with enough force for him to be considered a threat. It charged forward, arms swinging, and Victor had to dodge several punishing blows. Eventually, he managed to strike back, firing his sonic cannon with one hand while punching with the other, and the armour was knocked backwards. Victor pushed the offensive, barrelling into the fallen suit with as much strength as he could muster, trying to pin its arms. This proved moderately successful, up until the point where the ATLAS stood as if unimpeded and knocked Victor flying.

Victor's face was grim as he stood from the wreckage of a lab table, brushing debris from his shoulders. As the ATLAS charged towards him, he rushed to meet it, but rolled to the side at the last moment, disorienting the machine for long enough for him to fire several shots from his cannon.

The blasts did little more than seemingly infuriate the suit, and it charged about again. But before Victor could evade, to continue his game of cat and mouse, the armour had him by the throat and smashed him into a wall.

This was less lethal than it would normally would be, since at least half of his neck was reinforced with titanium, but it was still slowly choking him. He knew he only had one shot at this. Staring the soulless automaton dead in the eyes, and propping his feet lightly against the machine's barrel chest, he said three words.

"Shoe rockets, activate."

Actually, since his windpipe was being crushed at the time, it was more "Chu rkdz hagdvade", but the important thing was that his weapons systems understood.

The effect was immediate. The rockets slammed into the armour's chest, causing an explosion that sent Victor flying through the wall into a cubicle block, as well as rendering the ATLAS' chest scrap metal. Staggering to his feet, Victor climbed back through the hole he had made in time to see the suit totter lifelessly backwards. His features broke into a wide smirk.

"Alright, I'm only gonna be saying this once," he said, self satisfaction oozing from every pore. "_Booyah_."

--

The Titans arrived to find a very smug looking Victor slurping contentedly from a can of some description, among a wrecked lab.

"_Dude_, what happened here?"

"I'll tell you what happened, little man," Victor crowed. "Victor Stone officially Got His Groove Back!"

"Wonderful!" Starfire exclaimed. "Where was it?" Seeing Victor's blank look, she turned to Wally, and covertly hid her hand behind her mouth. "Please, what is a 'Groove'? I presume he cannot mean a shallow trench; there do not appear to be any here."

"Dude, you have no idea how happy I am for you, or how eager I am to celebrate your newly returned groove, but is Waller around? It's kinda urgent."

Victor thumbed over his shoulder, where a group of scientists were trawling over the fallen ATLAS like ants on a lion.

"Yo, Waller," Beast Boy declared by way of greeting, and picked his way over the ruined laboratory towards her, brandishing a suitcase.

With the absence of their leader, Rachel floated over to Victor.

"Hey."

Victor raised his sole eyebrow at her. "Huh, so you got roped into this gig as well, did you?"

She nodded by way of reply.

"Gar tried to recruit me too. I didn't think I was cut out for it, though."

Raven shook her head. "I don't think _anyone_ is cut out for this job. You have to chop bits off or stick things on until you fit, I think."

"Ain't that the truth." They surveyed the wreckage in silence for a moment, waiting for whatever would happen next.


	26. Sharp Dressed Man

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Sharp Dressed Man.**

"Yo, Waller."

Amanda Waller suppressed a groan as the verdant visage of Garfield Logan appeared. Just what she _didn't _need right now- clodhopping superheroes sticking their noses in at exactly the wrong time.

"What is it, Beast Boy?" she asked, making no attempt to hide her irritation.

"What happened here? Some kinda malfunction?" he asked, blithely ignoring Waller's obvious mood.

"...We're not sure yet," she admitted grudgingly. "This" here she gestured to the smoking wreck "used to be the ATLAS, until it went berserk and Victor smashed it. Still," she continued, a hint of pride seeping into her voice "it does give us a one up over Stark. Our cyborg destroyed his robot."

Beast Boy coughed. "Not to detract from your big moment or anything, but didn't you base Vic's body on designs from this suit?"

"We take our victories where we can, kid. Don't spoil this one for me. Anyway, is there some other reason why you're here?"

"Yep." Here he brought the suitcase up into Waller's field of vision. "This has to be one of the most suspicious loads of drugs ever. This was escorted by five automatic-armed goons. We _really_ wanna know why."

Waller's brow furrowed, and she pulled a scientist away from the wreckage by his shoulder.

"I need you to analyse the contents of this suitcase. If you find _anything _out of the ordinary, report immediately."

The man coughed. "And how would I do that?"

Waller gave him a blank look. "You mean you can't even perform a simple chemical analysis? What kind of scientist are you?"

"I'm a technician. I work on robotic limbs. That's why I'm here," the man haughtily replied.

"Then find someone who can," Waller replied through gritted teeth.

"With all due respect, it's seven thirty. The only reason most of us are still here is because you insisted that we keep the subject under fully-staffed surveillance at all times." the technician said, reproachfully.

"I can have you fired in a heartbeat, and am seriously contemplating it. The only way to keep your job now is to find someone who can give me a proper chemical analysis of the contents of this suitcase." Waller seemed perfectly calm, apart from her left eyelid, which was twitching.

"Yes ma'am." Suitably cowed, the man took off, suitcase in hand.

--

Half an hour later, the man was back, accompanied by a harassed looking man with greying hair and a goatee, who Gar recognised as the man he had talked to some months previously.

The scientist shared Gar's sense of recognition, and nodded, extending his hand.

"I don't believe you got my name last time. I'm Dr. Hamilton."

"Hi."

Suddenly, Hamilton's features hardened. "Right, pleasantries out of the way, you want to know about the drugs."

"Yep."

"Well, do you remember the chemical you asked me about last time we met?"

Beast Boy paled, as much as possible. "Oh no."

"Oh yes. These drugs are, well, drugged."

On the other side of the room, Starfire took notice of the exchange.

"Wallace?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Why has Garfield started liberally cursing? I did not believe he approved of such language."

Wally was spared having to explain when Beast Boy stormed over, Waller and Hamilton in tow.

"Okay guys, we got a problem."

Wally noticed Gar's tone. "What _kind_ of problem?"

"These drugs are laced with that stuff Adonis stole."

Wally and Starfire shared horrified glances, but the others simply looked confused.

"What stuff?" Rachel asked, feeling that the narrative could use some exposition.

Beast Boy told them, as quickly as he could.

"So, the odds that this is the only cache are pretty damn low, so tonight we can expect a whole load of rabid junkies roaming the streets. This is gonna be fun. We'll have to split up, the four of us in one group can't keep control over the whole city area."

Victor spoke up. "I'm coming with you."

Beast Boy started. "Thought you said this sort of thing wasn't for you?"

Victor grinned in response. "I gotta try it before I can knock it."

"Me too."

All heads turned to see Dick, looking determined. Gar raised an eyebrow.

"You sure? We can't afford to look after you out there, you know."

"I'll vouch for him," Wally said. "Guy took out four armed goons with four feet of wood. He's alright in my book."

Starfire nodded. "I, too, will give my support."

Before Gar could register his surprise, Waller tapped Dick on the shoulder.

"Over here, kid. There's something I want you to see.

--

Waller took Dick to a vault, and pressed a thumb scanner on the wall. Instantly, a long drawer slid out of the wall at waist height, and Dick started at the sight of a black coated body.

"Relax. It's just a suit." Waller picked it up and handed it to him. "I designed this a couple of years a go with the help of a friend of mine in Gotham. He didn't use it in the end, thought it made him rely on technology too much, but it works fine."

"What does it do?"

"It's a muscle suit. It'll enhance your strength by a factor of about five, and it's armoured. Not enough to stop a bullet, but it'll give anyone who tries to punch you dead knuckles. The mask" she pulled out a domino mask from an adjacent drawer "incorporates an HUD, so you know the condition of your suit at all times, as well as how many gadgets you have left."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Gadgets?"

"Yep. All in the utility belt. There's a grappling hook, two collapsible staffs, those were a designer's nightmare, ten smoke bombs, ten freeze disks, and ten of these strange boomerang devices. My friend was very specific about that."

Dick grinned. "Alright, let's try it on."

--

Once Dick as safely out of earshot, Gar shot Starfire a quizzical look.

"You wish to know why I endorsed Richard?" she asked, quietly, subtly moving to one side.

He nodded.

"It it simple. He could do more harm than good by himself. It would be best if he were somewhere we could keep the eye on him." She spoke quietly, standing some distance away from him, knowing that his hearing would be more than sufficient to pick it up.

"What do you mean 'more harm than good'?"

"You did not see him. When we encountered him, he was angry. I fear that if he is unchecked, this evening may end with someone dying. It would not necessarily be him." Starfire's words were serious, although she had schooled her features and tone to be casual, so the others would not pay attention.

"Oh."

The conversation was halted by the return of Waller, and a newly kitted out Dick.

Wally whistled lowly. "'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man. But isn't it a little...black?"

Indeed, the only colour on the costume came from the dull grey bracers and shin guards, and utility belt.

"We can add colour later," Waller said dismissively.

Beast Boy nodded. "Look like you're in, man. Got a name?"

Dick thought for a moment. "I'll think of something."

Beast Boy shook his head. "No, you need something now. We'll need to talk to you in public, and if we call you your real name the press will end up calling you Penis-Man or something, and no one wants that. Although, it would be kinda funny."

While Wally and Victor snickered, Starfire spoke up.

"I have a suggestion. There is a folk tale on Tameran of a warrior of antiquity, who led the Tameranean people to victory against a cruel and corrupt monarchy. He used a pseudonym that I believe suits you, Richard."

"What is it?" Dick asked.

"_Nozz'ardtraks_."

Dick blanched. "Err... do you have a translation?"

Starfire was silent for a moment as she thought. "Nightwing. He was known as the Nightwing."

Dick grinned. "I like it."

Victor rolled his eyes.

"What about Victor?" Rachel asked.

"I'll be... Cyborg."

Beast Boy deflated. "Dude... that's boring."

Wally interjected. "You have _no_ room to talk. One of your old team mates was called _Robotman_ for crying out loud. He wasn't even a robot!"

"Point. Alright, here's the plan. Only four of us have earpieces, so we'll have to stick to pairs. One newbie per pair. Wally, you're with Rae. Star, stick with Dick. Tin can, you're coming with me."

As the group began to move out, Rachel spoke up.

"You know, we really need a name, now there are so many of us."

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah. We'll think of something after we've dealt with this. Let's go."

**--**

**For Starfire's naming of Nightwing, I _really_ wanted to use the translation Kryalla Orchid used for the name in one of her stories, but I couldn't find it. So I had no option but to exercise a little creativity.**


	27. The Enigmatic Mr Wilson

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Enigmatic Mr. Wilson.**

It was a cold evening, and accordingly Slade Wilson was wearing a long coat over his immaculate suit. He had been working late, tied up in paperwork, which was frustrating. He'd hoped to relax this evening, and had been hoping to catch the opening of a broadcast concert of Dvořák's New World Symphony. He checked his watch. Hmm. Still time to make that if he picked up the pace a little.

Lost in his thoughts, he tuned out the raucous club on a street bisecting the one he was on, and only took notice when he heard the screams.

A glance told him that a group of youths had started what looked like a particularly vicious fight, and he lost interest. Nothing he hadn't seen before, and he had a concert to listen to.

Perhaps he would open that bottle of Claret. He had recently bought some cheese that would go nicely.

While he mused, he shifted subtly, so when the first screaming hooligan rushed him, he pitched the boy over his shoulder, slamming his heel down upon the teenager's sternum and pinning him to the ground.

As the second rushed to attack, he pivoted to face him, one foot remaining firmly planted on the other youth's chest. By the time the second boy dived for Slade's throat, the man was more than ready for him, and caught his arm, dragging it down and bringing his elbow down upon his head.

To Slade's surprise, the boy declined to collapse on the floor, and instead writhed in his grip. With a long suffering sigh, Slade yanked towards him and stepped neatly out of the way, sending the youth tumbling over his collapsed companion. As he span past, Slade jabbed the youth's occipital ridge, where the skull meets the spine, and the boy collapsed in a boneless heap.

He was about to move on when he heard a guttural scream, and a third teenager, a girl brandishing some kind of weapon- a stick maybe a foot and a half in length- charged at him with surprising speed.

It was like he never moved. One moment he was standing half turned towards his berserk opponent, and the next his foot was buried in her stomach. As she bent double around his heel, he extracted his foot and curled it in towards himself, the rest of his body locked like a statue, and with a sudden rush of air, he snapped his foot forwards, smashing the girl in the face, and she tumbled to the ground, blood and teeth marking her trajectory like some kind of grisly streamers.

Straightening up, he brushed imaginary dirt off his shoulders and continued home. Thanks to these youths, and their thoughtless distraction, he would now have to walk even faster to have any hope of catching the opening.

Children these days. No respect.

--

Victor remembered this place. He'd seen it before, heard people talking about it. An old docklands warehouse renovated into one of the best clubs in town. He'd always meant to go some time.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

"Cyborg, get to the DJ! Cut that _freaking _music off, and get some lights up here!"

Victor turned, reminding himself that _Cyborg_ meant _Victor_, and ploughed through the crowd. It was a nightmare. There were maybe one hundred and fifty people in the club, and while it was designed for such numbers, it was working on the assumption that no one had much regard for personal space.

Oh., and that no one would go psycho and try to claw the other dancers' eyes out. That too.

To his left, he saw a wild-eyed young man leap on another, his hands wrapped around his victim's throat. With no room to manoeuvre, Victor waded through the crowd and hefted the psychotic raver above his head, and gestured that the rescuee make his escape. Holding the youth above his head in one hand, he made his way over to the Disk Jockey.

"Get some lights up, now! And turn that off!"

Wide eyed, the dreadlocked woman obeyed, cutting the music and activating the light switch.

"That's better," he heard Gar yell. "Alright, everyone get outside, quickly!"

As the crowd moved to follow, Victor noticed a pile of comatose youths in the corner, and went to drop off his own, who was still wriggling.

"I don't recognise you."

He turned to look. The DJ was following him.

"Cyborg. I'm new."

"Huh, cool. Well, thanks." With that, she turned to the exit.

_Thanks?_ _For what?_

--

Wally grit his teeth in frustration as he punched another crazed man. It looked like Jump had more of a drug problem than the police had estimated, judging by the numbers he had seen. Clubs were the worst, since it was Saturday night (and it was indeed alright for fighting, much to his chagrin).

To his left, Raven raised her arms, and a young woman froze, lifted into mid-air. Raven's eyes glowed white with power.

"Stop! _That's my sister_!"

Raven turned to the source of the cry, and saw a boy who couldn't have been more than sixteen, in a state of great agitation. Turning back to the girl, Raven stepped forward and placed her index fingers to her temples.

"_Sleep_" she intoned, soft yet commanding, and the woman's eyelids slammed shut, and Raven released her into the arms of her brother.

"Look after her. When the police arrive, take her to them. They can help," Raven commanded, and took off towards another disturbance.

--

"We've got them."

Waller nodded in satisfaction. It hadn't taken long for her team to locate the remote control device on the remains of the ATLAS, and barely longer to locate the source of the signal. She was handed a slip of paper, which showed coordinates and an address.

"Get Beast Boy on the line. He'll want to know this."

--

Dick swung another punch, lighter this time. The first time he had hit someone in this suit, he had been rewarded with the sight of his opponent being catapulted backwards into a wall. This time, his more measured strike merely knocked his adversary to the ground.

"Nightwing!"

He looked up to see Starfire bearing down on him.

"We have received word of the source of this disturbance. The criminal behind this chaos is Anthony Zucco, and we are to converge upon his residence immediately."

Finally, the moment he'd been waiting for.

"Let's go."

Starfire nodded, and cocked her head to the side, listening in her earpiece.

"Kid Flash and Raven are already at the perimeter, but we are not to engage until all of our party is assembled."

"How quickly can we get there?"

Starfire smiled. "How quickly do you wish to go?"

Without waiting for an answer, she lifted Nightwing by the waist and took off into the night.

**--**

**This chapter's all about the first scene. It's been in my head for months.**

**And thanks to everyone who's reviewed these last couple of chapters. All both of you.**


	28. Housebreaking

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Housebreaking.**

Starfire touched down next to Wally and Rachel, who were hiding behind a shrubbery in a corner of the walled garden, and released Dick. She stooped down next to them, and began to observe the opulent mansion.

"Are we unobserved?" she asked quietly.

Wally nodded. "Yup. Rae fixed up the camera." He pointed to the security camera mounted on the wall of the mansion, which was oddly still. "It's still on, but it's not moving any more."

"Excellent," Starfire directed at Rachel, who nodded in acceptance of the compliment.

"Where are the others?" Dick asked shortly.

In response, Wally touched his ear.

"Beast Boy? You there?" He paused. "What's taking you guys?" Another pause, this time longer. "Oh. You want me to come help? Oh, okay. No, I think we can wait. Our cover is fine, thank you. Okay. Signing off." He turned to the others.

"Well?" Rachel asked.

"They've run into a big disturbance. The police haven't arrived yet, so they're needed there. We'll wait for ten minutes, and if they don't arrive by then, we move in. Once we're inside, we need to a game plan, okay? Rae, you'll be on defence. I want you to bust through the main doors and camp there. Bring up some shields, and make sure we have somewhere to come back to if it all goes wrong. Star, you're on crowd control, Dick, you assist her."

Starfire nodded, but Dick looked confused. "Crowd control?"

Wally nodded. "Odds are there'll be a lot of goons in there. Take 'em out."

"And what'll you be doing?"

"I'm going after Zucco. I can chase him down no problem."

Dick looked ready to argue, but suddenly Rachel intervened.

"Something's wrong."

Wally's attention was instantly diverted. "What?"

"Agitation." Rachel's face screwed up in concentration. "They know something's up. They're moving. Some towards the door, others towards the back."

"Fuck. Alright, no time to wait. Everyone remember your jobs. Let's go."

As one, the group moved towards the door.

--

Zucco was not pleased. He had spent a lot of time and effort (not to mention money) on this plan. Fisk had _assured_ him that Waller could be dealt with. The ALTAS was supposed to kill her, so the local vigilantes would cut off from any support S.T.A.R. would be able to give them. Somehow, the ATLAS had failed, and it was a sure thing that Waller would direct those damn metahumans to his door.

As his men readied their positions, he reached for his cell.

"Jones, please tell me you've managed to engage the vigilantes."

A hushed, breathy voice answered.

"_It is strange. Only two do I see, only one do I recognise."_

Zucco frowned. Only two? Then where were...

His unspoken question was answered by a chatter of machine gun fire from the front of the house.

Ah. There they were.

"Simon, eliminate those that you can see, then get up here. We may need your help."

The plan _would_ succeed. The Rapture was close at hand.

--

"Alright, that looks like the last of them," Victor said.

Gar nodded. "Yeah. Let's move out." He touched his earpiece. "Kid Flash? Come in, Kid Flash." He paused for a moment. "We're on our way. Beast Boy out." He looked up. "Sounds like they couldn't wait for us."

Victor didn't respond, and Gar turned around.

Victor was suspended in mid-air, but Gar's attention was drawn to the figure walking towards them. A wizened hand extended from faded red robes, grasping at the air. A pinched and sallow face scowled in concentration as the figure strode towards the heroes.

But what really caught Beast Boy's attention was the top of his head. The man seemed to have no skull, his brain fully visible behind a glass dome.

Gross.

"Who're you?" Beast Boy asked, preparing to spring. "And what do you want?"

"A herald of the Lord, that is who I am. As for what it is that I want, I want above all to see the Blood Rapture before I die. You are standing in the way of this. Goodbye."

Beast Boy managed to leap just as Victor was sent smashing towards him.

--

The four crouched behind Rachel's shield, seeking a reprieve from the fight. So far, things were going fairly to plan. Rachel, Dick, and Starfire were holding their own against a squadron of men, and Wally was preparing to make his run to snatch Zucco from wherever he may be hiding.

As Wally was about to spring from behind the blacklight, his ear buzzed. As he listened, his features went tight with worry. He looked up.

"Guys, Beast Boy and Cyborg are in trouble. I gotta go back and help. One of you's gonna have to get to Zucco instead. Star, how about-"

But Dick was already gone, rolling out from behind the shield and smashing down a door as he ran into the bowels of the mansion. Wally grimaced in exasperation.

"Damnit, Star, go after him, Raven, stay here and keep these guys occupied, I'll be back as soon as I can!"

With that, he turned tail and ran out of the door and into the night.

--

Cyborg's paralysed form was flung through the air, and Gar sprang wildly to avoid him. Victor slammed into a wall, and the robed man released his mental grip.

"Your minds are strange, interestingly. Green boy, you are primitive, base. Your sense of self is almost overwhelmed by your primal nature. The metal man, he isn't there at all. Every living creature has a mental footprint, a psychic whirlpool in the sea that is the mortal world, but he does not. Fascinating, indeed; is that a result of his mechanical nature, or something inherent in his mind (a mutation, perhaps?); I cannot help but wonder."

Beast Boy gave no response, but shifted into a tiger, and prepared to spring. As he leapt, he felt a pressure on his tail, and he slammed into the ground.

"Of course, that makes little difference to me," the man continued. "Complete invasion of the mind is impossible; but substitutes there always are." He twisted his hands, and Cyborg lifted Beast Boy and hurled him bodily into the wall.

"Sorry!" Victor helplessly shouted, even as his body lumbered forwards to strike his fallen friend.

"Puppeteering; such a basic concept. To lift objects is a perfectly normal concept for the telekinetic; it is no different to move limbs. Brute strength against the power of the mind is such a weighted contest." The man sounded tired, his words came in a breath of stale air.

Beast Boy rolled, and tried desperately to think of a way to counter his opponent. Rushing towards the man, he leapt into the air as a hummingbird.

"Hummingbird to sea turtle," the man said, as a wave of psychic energy slammed the bird to the ground. "Your mind is an open book. If it _were_ a book, it would read not entirely unlike a nursery rhyme. Of course, your intelligence quotient has little to do with this; it is your over reliance on instinct that leaves your mind so open to any mental probing." He sighed, and flipped the now human Beast Boy onto his back, and walked towards him.

"Get away from him!" Victor impotently yelled.

"You would do well to be silent. You have the good fortune to be of interest- it would serve you well not to irritate me to the extent where that overwhelms your use." He gestured, and the air above Beast Boy coalesced and thickened into a long blade, hanging over his throat.

"If I were feeling inspired, it might be appropriate to make reference to Damocles at this juncture. Alas, this moment shall have to be bereft of poetry. Goodbye." He raised his right arm, and the blade flew upwards.

"You want poetry? I got something for ya. There once was a man with..." Wally scratched his head, examining the scene before him, "a... bell jar on his head? How am I supposed to make a limerick out of _that_? It's got too many syllables."

**--**

**If there's one thing chapter twenty-seven taught me, it's that whining works.**


	29. Clusterfunk

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Clusterfunk.**

Rachel flinched imperceptibly as bullets cracked on her shield, and tried to focus herself.

The plan had been for Starfire, herself, and Dick (and she wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to be here, and from what she could decipher of his emotions, she was sure she didn't want to know) to hold off these -look up, count quickly- twenty odd men while Wally grabbed their boss. Simple enough.

So how had it ended up being her by herself while Wally ran back to help the others, and Dick and Starfire traipsed off?

Oh yes, because _no one ever followed plans_.

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment, breathing out, exhaling the feeling of mind numbing terror. She was aware that a small voice inside her head was screaming that there were lots of heavily armed men all focused on trying to kill her, took that as a warning rather than hysteria, and reinforced her shield.

She needed to do something. She couldn't just sit here, hiding under her shields.

She ducked instinctively as a fresh round of bullets smashed into the blacklight.

Even though the idea had a certain appeal right now.

--

"Ah, now _you_ I recognise."

"Yeah well, I'm kinda hard to miss, you know. Yellow spandex tends to stand out."

The robed man's only response was to raise his hand. Instantly, Victor lumbered forwards, and raised his arm to strike.

"Look out!"

Wally took a casual step backwards, and Victor's fist slammed into the pavement. The next blow was harder to dodge, and came faster, but Wally bent backwards and the roundhouse sweep sailed past him.

Seeing the ineffectiveness of this assault, the man lifted his other hand, and Wally was suddenly not only avoiding attack from his friend, but also being pelted by debris from all angles.

As he ducked a flying trash can whilst keeping an eye on Cyborg's swinging fists, a street light swung at the back of his ankles, knocking him flat on his back. Before he could get up, Cyborg was above him, his hands linked above his head, his eye wide in terror.

--

Anthony Zucco hurried through the gardens of his home, towards a car that would take him out of the city. Behind him were three of his best and most trusted men, all of whom would be silenced the moment he was safe. It didn't pay to leave witnesses that could be interrogated as to where he was going. This was also the reason that he was going to drive the car himself.

Suddenly, there came a sharp whistling sound, like a thrown dagger, and a blinding light illuminated the scene. As his men wheeled blindly, Zucco saw, with his suddenly impaired vision, a dark figure rushing towards them.

The first man went down quickly, a black boot to the back of his head. The second grabbed the attacker's arm, and got a knee to the groin for his trouble. The third was more successful, and smashed the figure in the face.

He went down, but as the enforcer loomed over him, he kicked upwards, catching the man in his gut and leaping to his feet the moment he could. An elbow to the face removed the third man from the equation, but the second stood again, with murder in his eyes.

Before he could reach for his fallen gun, a blow to the side of his head knocked him to the ground, where he didn't get up.

Zucco backed up as the figure turned towards him, and scowled behind white eyes.

"Zucco, is it?"

--

Rachel had an idea.

Well, actually, she had had several ideas, but all the others had been dismissed the moment she realised that they would almost certainly leave her resembling a colander in seconds.

The only trouble was that she had no idea whether she could actually do it or not.

Well, she never did want to live forever, did she?

Did she?

Deciding to come back to that later, she sat beneath the dome her shield had become, and closed her eyes. Remembering the training Dr. Fate had given her, she focused her mind's eye on a point hanging from the ceiling, surveying the room. From there, she could see the semicircle of darkness that she was currently cowering beneath, and the twenty odd men in small groups, sporadically firing at her. One cluster was at the foot of the staircase that dominated the far room, some were on the landing at the top of the stairs, and more were dotted around at the mouths of corridors. However, one thing in particular caught her eye.

Her shield was opaque.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. Magic, she reminded herself, was simply a matter of will and focus. She held an image in her mind of what she wanted to happen. Now all she had to do was believe it.

With a sudden jerk, her shield exploded outwards, knocking every person in the room off their feet. The shock wave disrupted her concentration, and she was jerked back into her body. Standing, she knew what she had to do. With a wave of her hand, she crafted another domed shield, but instead of hiding beneath it, she quickly slipped outside, and observed events through a window.

Exactly as she had hoped, the men picked themselves off the floor and once more turned their attentions to the shield.

This time, however, they were a lot more wary.

--

As Cyborg's fists hammered down, Wally heard Victor yell something. He didn't hear what, as he was too busy scrabbling backwards, and it was a wonder he heard his friend at all.

He _did_, however, notice when the ground beneath Victor's left foot exploded, sending him careering to one side. Not one to spurn opportunity, Wally leapt to his feet and charged towards his enemy.

"Your skills are admirable. Your body truly is something of worth. Perhaps our Lord will find a use for it."

The man touched an index finger to one of his temples, and Wally felt a familiar prickle, which he recognised as a mental invasion.

The man smirked. The boy wasn't even putting up a fight. Kid Flash's trains of thought began to echo in the psychic's head.

T'was brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe all mimsy were the borogroves and the mome raths outgrabe.

Well. That was new.

Guys, trust me, you're gonna want the cowbell on this track.

This one was a strange one.

Look, there's the old man from scene twenty four!

Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!

Now that shes back in the atmosphere, with drops of jupiter in her hair, hey, hey

She acts like summer and walks like rain reminds me that theres time to change, hey, hey I know a song that'll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves Since the return from her stay on the moon she listens like spring and she talks like june, hey, heyHe took his vorpal sword in hand long time the manxome foe he sought so rested he by the Tumtum tree and stood awhile in thought tell me did you sail across the sun did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded andthat heaven isoverrated what isthe averagevelocityof and unladensawllow onetwoonetwoandthroughandthroughthevorpal blade went snickersnackhe left it deadandwithitsheadhewentgalumphingbacktellmedidyoufallfrashooingstaronewthouapemnentscradidumissewileyoereokingatyouselfouthereGuesswhat?!I'vegota fever,andtheonlyprescription... is more cowbell!

The man's eyes began to water, and he clutched at his temples, desperately trying to sift through the tumbling trains of thought, hunting for the point where he could take control of this mind.

Before he could manage this a red gloved hand was buried in his gut.

"Yeah, Grodd tried the same thing, ya know. He got me, but Barry sussed him out pretty quick," Wally said, conversationally. "The trick is to distract 'em by thinking of five things at once. Barry liked playing solitaire in his head, but I don't like cards. Never had the patience for them, and I have the _worst _poker face. Still, Grodd kept trying. He was the original one-trick monkey."

The man's only response was a groan as Wally tapped him neatly on the back of his neck, knocking him out.

--

One of the men was heading towards the shield. This could be a problem.

His gun was pointed at the blacklight, and he was edging towards it slowly, but purposefully. Crap.

Rachel had to do _something, _otherwise they would cotton on to her ruse. But at the same time she couldn't be too overt, or her cover would be blown.

So, as the man nudged her shield with his foot, she waved her hands and concentrated. Instantly, a hole appeared in the shield, and black arms snatched the man and dragged him inside. With a thought, she muffled the sound inside the dome.

The unfortunate man's cohorts drew back at this, and a few actually turned and ran. Perfect.

**--**

**I love coming up with serious uses for shoe rockets. Points for the one who can tell me everything Wally is thinking about. You'll win _respect_.**


	30. Scratched Your Name

**Chapter Thirty: Scratched Your Name.**

Gar's eyes opened, and he stared blearily up at a vision in yellow.

"Guh... what happened?"

As Wally pulled him to his feet, he filled Gar in on the situation at the Manor. He was not pleased.

"So, what, Dick just went running off? Great, I leave you guys alone for five minutes and everything goes to hell. Good one, Kid." He shook his head in mock admonishment.

Victor cleared his throat. "So, what's the plan?"

Beast Boy sighed. "Okay. Cyborg, you stay with this guy." Here he gestured to the fallen psychic. "make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble. Once the police pick him up, I want you to head after us. Kid Flash, you're gonna run me up to the mansion, and we're going to do this _properly_, okay?"

The two nodded, and Kid Flash set off, an emerald parrot on his shoulder. Victor watched the pair leave, then turned to his comatose charge.

Idly, he wondered if he'd have to go back to Waller to get more shoe rockets. His calves felt oddly light without them.

--

"Zucco, is it?"

"Certainly. And to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" Zucco asked, letting his tongue rattle freely as he examined his situation. Not good. From what he'd seen this...man? No, his voice was far too young, so it was another bloody teenage vigilante; there was _definitely_ something in the water around here- was physically capable of chasing him down easily. So his only chance lay in distracting the boy so he could get a shot in. Idly, he slipped a throwing knife from his right sleeve and concealed it in his hand.

The boy in the black suit practically _snarled_.

"You killed my father," he intoned, in a voice of granite.

Zucco nearly laughed. Instead, he got a grip on himself, and sighed heavily.

"So melodramatic." He shook his head ruefully, to further anger this boy. Anger would impair his aim and his faculties. "After all, I killed _my _father too, but you don't hear _me_ complaining about it, do you?" His tone was smug, amused, and designed to push his adversary over the edge.

He had underestimated his abilities in goading, or the boy had been closer to the edge than he had thought.

--

Raven was at a loss. She had dealt with one man effectively, but the others were still at large, and although they weren't inclined to go anywhere near her (or where they thought she was, anyway) she doubted that this was what Kid Flash had meant when he had instructed her to 'keep these guys occupied'. After all, they were just standing there.

Unfortunately, her sense of self preservation was kicking in right now, and she was disinclined to dive into the path of several automatic weapons.

Lost in her ruminations, she failed to hear someone sneaking up behind her.

"Arr, me hearty."

She turned to see Kid Flash sporting a parrot and a rakish grin.

"What took you?" she whispered, irritated.

"Tried to find an eyepatch," he replied, totally blasé.

"Wark, time to go," the parrot supplied.

Rachel looked sidelong at the bird. "Beast Boy?"

"Wark, got it in one, babe."

Rachel's eye twitched.

--

Faster than should be humanly possible, the boy charged towards Zucco. Before he could bring his knife hand up, he found himself grappled and pushed to the ground. This meant that instead of puncturing the boy's heart, the only target for Zucco's knife was the thigh of his assailant.

The figure recoiled with a sharp cry, and Zucco scrabbled backwards unsing elbows and heels. With a grunt, the boy yanked the knife from his leg, and held it up, slick with blood.

The boy stepped forward, knife in hand, and Zucco was mesmerised by the inconguous look on his face. His teeth were bared and gritted in an animal display of anger and pain, but his mask left his eyes totally blank, any humanity hidden behind white lenses.

In spite of himself, Zucco was afraid. He backed up, still on the damp grass, as the boy lurched towards him, limping from the wound Zucco had given him, but filled with a terrible determination nonetheless. On reflex, Zucco found himself grasping the religous pendant that hung from a chain around his neck.

"Nightwing!"

A streak of orange light heralded the arrival of another figure on te scene, and the now identified Nightwing turned to look. Zucco didn't. He knew who it was. Another vigilante.

"Nightwing, what are you doing?"

"What I came here to do." Nightwing's voice was hard. Controlled. Zucco had heard that tone before. It meant that the speaker was keeping themselves under strict control, because they had no other choice. If they allowed themselves the luxury of expression, they'd fall apart.

"You do not want to kill him, Nightwing." Starfire's voice was low, almost soft.

"You don't know what I want. He killed my father!"

Starfire was silent for a long time, and Zucco's grip on his symbol tightened, until there was a red welt in the shape of stylised "S" embossed onto his palm.

"And you believe that gives you the right to kill him?"

Nightwing gave no answer, but simply stared at Zucco.

"Nightwing, please, listen to me. You have a choice. I will not stop you, no matter what you decide. You can kill this man, if you believe it will ease your pain. I do not believe it will. Or you can choose to do the right thing. Apprehend him. He will face justice for his crimes."

Nightwing was still silent, but he moved towards the man on the floor, knife in hand.

--

"Okay, Kid, time to do your thing. Take the guys in the corridors, Rae, get the ones on the landing. I'll go for the middle."

Rachel and Wally nodded, and Rachel waved a hand. Instantly, the shadow of a Raven appeared, hanging in midair, and they stepped through.

Beast Boy was teleported onto the bottom step, directly in front of a startled man. Taking the opportunity, he shifted into a gorrila and punched him in the face. As the others swung their weapons towards him, he vanished into the microscopic, leaving his opponents very confused. As they moved to where he had been, a tiger burst from the firament and set upon them.

Kid Flash zipped to and fro, merrily knocking out gunmen and at one point playfully waiting for a man to fire before dodging the bullets, à la Hugo Weaving. He'd never been flexble enough to try Keanu style.

Truth be told, he could have taken everyone in the room in less than five seconds. That would leave him sore, though, and with bruised knuckles, probably. Besides, they were a team, and if being part of a team meant sometimes he had to exert superhuman patience while the others did their thing, then so be it. The trade offs were worth it any day.

Rachel's first move was yanking the guns from her enemies hands. This was harder than it sounded, since she had to concentrate on several things at once, but luckily for her her opponents were still getting over the shock of her appearance. With a swipe of her hand, the weapons were sent clattering from the balcony, and she began to concentrate on the men themselves. She picked up one with her power and flung him into a knot of three more, a flick of her wrist tripped a man running up behind her, and the last one (since she was feeling creative) was pelted by the contents of his pocket. It was mildly entertaining, watching the man get beaten over the head by a flying wallet.

--

Nighwing loomed over Zucco, his expression unreadable behind the mask. Suddenly, his empty hand jerked down and yanked the crime boss up by the front of his shirt.

With slow, deliberate movements, he dropped the knife.

To the side, unseen by either male, Starfire smiled.

Then Nightwing brought his other fist into sharp contact with Zucco's face, breaking the man's nose.


	31. Priorities

**Chapter Thirty-One: Priorities.**

_**This is going up a little earlier than I had planned, for reasons I shall outline at the bottom.**_

_**--**_

Midnight had come and gone, unnoticed, and the teenage vigilantes had reitred to the penthouse, flushed with success, for the most part.

Garfield laughed as Wally led Starfire and Cyborg in a spirited rendition of "Blame it on the Boogie", complete with ridiculous dance moves. In the kitchen, Rachel shook her head despairingly, and turned away. Gar was about to make his way over to her, fully intent on insisting she take a more active role in the celebration (after all, it _had_ been her reluctant suggestion) when he saw something that killed the satisfied buzz that had inhabited him for the past hour or so.

Dick was leaning against the wall, scowling, mask in hand, obviously deep in thought.

Oh yeah. He had to deal with that, didn't he?

With a reluctant sigh, he tapped the older boy on the shoulder, and gestured for him to follow. When Dick stood straight, Gar led him quietly to a small room, dominated by a desk and two chairs. Gar sank into the chair behind the desk, and gestured for Dick to sit on the other.

Gar took a moment to gather his thoughts. He _hated_ being in charge, but who else would be? Of the original three, Wally had never been on a team, had never had to maintain a base, and Starfire (for all her many talents) was not one for planning, nor did she have any experience of the planet. Gar had been on the Doom Patrol for years, and had been taught how to think tactically. More importantly, he also had access to enough funding. For good or ill, he had been the one Waller had left responsible for Starfire, and he had been the one to create the team.

He just wished it had been someone else, that was all.

"So... what now?" he asked.

Dick looked up. "What do you mean?"

Gar sighed. "Star told me what happened, you know."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He sighed. "You should'a told us, dude."

Dick stared at him. "If I had, you wouldn't have let me anywhere _near_ any of this. You'd have locked me up until it was all over."

Gar didn't rise to that. "Look, dude, I'm not gonna judge you about what you wanted to do. Grief makes us...a bit crazy. The point is, you _didn't _do it."

Dick shook his head. "Only because Kory was there. If she hadn't shown up..."

Gar snorted. "So it's wrong to rely on your friends some times? Look" he waved his hands, dismissively "this isn't really the point. Back to my question. What you gonna do now?"

Dick's eyes widened. "You mean..." he waved the mask in his hand.

Gar nodded. "By all accounts, you did good out there. We'd be pleased to have you, on a couple of conditions."

Dick's eyebrow raised, an unspoken question.

"Firstly, you _gotta_ do what you're told. At least some of the time, 'kay? Sure, today was a great example of reality tearing plans apart, but you gotta follow the basic plan. The one standing exception is that if someone's in danger, then your priority is to save them first. If you're gonna ad lib, then tell us first, 'kay dude?"

"Alright. But what if your plan is terrible?" he asked, with a wry grin.

"I wouldn't put it past me. If that's the case, tell me. Point out when I've descended into the realm of fantasy."

Dick nodded. "Anything else?"

Gar nodded. "I want you to tell your mom."

"What?"

"Seriously. I've seen guys try to hide their secret identities from their families. It _never_ works. Do you _really_ think that you can hide anything from your parent?"

"But..."

"no buts, dude. You gotta tell her, or I will."

"Okay, okay," Dick said, harrassed.

Gar nodded. "last thing. Why? Why do you want to do this? Trust me, it's not all fame and fortune and punching guys in tights. When it all boils down, those things are just distractions from the basic concept. Every time you go out there in the costume, you have to be prepared to die for _anyone_. That's the job, making sure everyone else lives longer than you." His voice was calm, even, and deadly serious.

Dick was silent for a long time, as the truth of what he was signing up to sank in.

"I'll do it." His voice gained strength. "I don't want anyone else to suffer because of men like Zucco." His eyes locked with Gar's. "I want to help."

Garfield's features broke into a smile. "Welcome to the club, dude." He stretched his hand across the desk, and clasped Dick's.

"You know, you really need to think of a name," Dick said, with a smile.

Gar nodded. "Alright, that's your first assignment. Go out there, and get suggestions for a team name." He waved him towards the door.

"What about you?"

Gar shook his head. "Waller wants a report of what happened, and she'll have my ass if it's not in her inbox by nine tomo- today. Go on, I'll be out in a minute."

--

Wally breathed deep in the winter evening as he ran the late patrol. Things were going well right now. Dick was a member, and doing pretty well, they had a team name (his suggestion, "The Kid Flash Experience" had sadly been ignored) and all in all, things weren't going too badly.

He couldn't escape the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something, though. Something _important_...

The ground beneath his feet exploded in a flash of pink, and his hands snapped forward, breaking his fall. He looked to his left to see platform boots heading his way.

He stood, and shook his head. "We have _got _to stop meeting like this."

Jinx snorted, amused. "Why? Gets your attention."

"I'm flattered that you think me worth the bother."

Jinx waved her hand. "Yadda yadda, skip the pleasantries, you need to know this.

"Now, last week, I guess you were too busy to go check the docks, what with all the craziness that evening." Wally nodded, mutley, and she continued. "So, my charitable little self went for you; and guess what I saw?"

"I dunno, sonmething interesting?"

Jinx nodded. "It was kinda weird. I didn't see a boat or anything. There was just this rolling fog coming over the bay, and when it cleared, there were these five...figures on the dock."

"What did they look like?"

Jinx shook her head. "Couldn't see. They were all dressed like monks or something. They left, and I tried to follow them, but they gave me the slip." She didn't mention exactly _how_ they had given her the slip; it would detract from the credibility of her story (and make her sound more than a little crazy).

Wally nodded, but there was something on his mind. "Why are you doing this? Why help us?"

Jinx paused. She hadn't come up with a satisfactory answer to that herself.

"I...I'm not sure. All I knnow is that these guys were _bad_. There was just...something about them that screamed _danger, danger, Will Robinson_. Whoever these guys are, I don't want them anywhere near me, and it seems to me like your merry band has the best chance of taking them down if they do cause trouble."

Wally nodded. "I'll look into it." As he turned to go, he looked back. "Oh, our merry band has a name now."

Jinx looked mildly interested.

"Oh?"

"Yep. We're the Titans."

With that, he vanished, a yellow blur.

Jinx shook her head. 'the Titans'? She could come up with a better name in her sleep.

_**--**_

_**Okay, a day early, mostly because the picture for "Fissure" is nearing completion, and I wanted to reach this point in "Atypical" before I abandon it again.**_

_**Yes, you read that right. This story will not be updated until "Fissure" is complete. I was always going to pause here anyway, so no amount of pleading will get me to update before I finish "Fissure".**_


End file.
